


Zootrapia

by y8man



Category: Regular Show, Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Crossover, F/M, Zootopia Universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-22
Updated: 2016-10-08
Packaged: 2018-08-16 16:49:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 30,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8110057
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/y8man/pseuds/y8man
Summary: The company tries to trigger supernatural forces through a silly game of embarrassing truths and playful emotions.But the story doesn’t even start there.





	1. Wilder and Tougher

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Regular Show and Zootopia.

_xWILDER THAN A HANGOVER  
xRIGBY I_

"Mordecai, check this out. It's a portal."  
"A what?!"

Mordecai sat up in bed to find his partner in crime's trampoline turned upside down, with the clothes thrown away to the other far corner of the room.

"Mordecai, come here! Come here!"  
Just as the blue jay was about to stand up, he swayed to the side and was forced to press his head with a hand. "Ughh… Hangover."  
"Come on, dude. Don't be a baby."

Mordecai groaned as he approached Rigby, who was staring eyes wide.  
The jay, however, narrowed his eyes in disbelief. "Dude, that's not a portal. That's just a hole in your bed. Quit messing with me."  
"Wait!" The raccoon firmly held his friend's arm. "At first, I thought so too! Look at this."

Rigby breathed in heavily then neared his face on the supposed hole and screamed.  
"Woooooooooooooooooh!"  
Only it did not come out as a scream. The cry sounded like it was sucked in.

"It's just hangover," Mordecai claimed with an unsurprised face. "We're imagining things."  
"Are you sure about that?" asked Rigby before dragging one of his partner's hands near the hole.

"Woah! Woah! Woah!" He instantly felt being dragged by a powerful force and had to pull himself back, with the help of an amused Rigby.  
"Told you, didn't I?"  
"How were you able to sleep through the night?"  
"I don't know." The raccoon shrugged casually. "Maybe it appeared when I passed gas."  
Mordecai waved a hand over his face. "Eugh!"

"Where do you think it will bring us?"  
Mordecai raised his hands crossed in firm disagreement. "Woah there, buddy! We could die in who knows where, something worse than time. Have that patched up."  
"Dude, I'm curious. Aren't you? Let's check it out."

"I'm not going to." Mordecai was collecting duct tape to put over the portal when Rigby stopped him.  
"Noooo! What if-"  
"No what if's." The jay ignored the weak punches thrown at him. "Goodbye portal to who-knows-where."

Just as the tape was about to make contact with the portal, Mordecai was suddenly sucked in, leaving a surprised Rigby.  
"That can't be good." One blink after, he screamed. "SKIPS!"

_X_

"Skips!"  
Hurried steps encountered the stairs.  
"Skips! Where are you?"  
Rigby's eyes manifested Muscleman and High-Five Ghost playing video games in his brain.  
The former's pecs were almost touching the controller, while the latter had morphed two hands out of the sides of his small ethereal body., leaving the one fork of a hand on the top of his head unused.

"Rigby, what's the matter?" HFG's spooky voice asked.  
"Have you guys seen Skips? I need his help."  
Muscleman raised his controller with a smirk. "You know who else needs Skips' help? MY MOM!"  
Rigby promptly ignored the always repeated joke. "No idea, HFG?"  
"No."

Rigby proceeded to the other rooms.  
"Skips! Skips!"

"MORDECAI AND RIGBY, WHAT ARE YOU GOING ON ABOUT THIS TIME?!"  
"Crap, it's Benson!" Rigby looked around for cover.  
"MORDECAI AND RIGBY, HAVE YOU TWO FINISHED YOUR JOBS OR ARE YOU TWO SLACKING AGAIN?!"  
Rigby found concealment behind a drawer and yelled, "Yes! The fountain's already clean!"  
"grrr…"

Somewhere in the world, a volcano erupted.

"I WAS IN THERE A WHILE AGO! IT'S DEFINITELY _NOT_ CLEAN!"  
Rigby laughed nervously. "Are you sure you saw it right, Benson?"  
"IF YOU TWO HAVEN'T FINISHED IT BY THE AFTERNOON, YOU TWO ARE _FIRED_!"

Rigby waited a few seconds before releasing the breath he was holding.  
"I gotta get Skips fast."

_X_

"Skiiips! Are you in there?" Rigby asked as he frantically knocked on the garage door.  
"Ski-"  
"What is it?" The door opened to show a buff yeti, looking down with a frown.

"Skips, I need your help!"  
"Hmm." Skips looked outside as if cautious of outsiders. "Get in."

The door was closed and the two stopped by a few weightlifting materials.  
"Let me guess," began Skips as he sat with crossed legs. "You got a portal in your bed and Mordecai was sucked in."  
Rigby gasped. "How did you know?"

Skips grunted. "I can see the portal still swirling in your eyes."  
"Oooooh." Fascination quickly turned to whimpers. "We gotta help Mordecai!"  
"How did the portal come into existence?"  
Rigby shook his head miserably. "I don't know."  
"Do you have an idea where the portal could bring him?"  
"I don't know!" Rigby made a frustrated face, and then blinked to a blank face. "Maybe to a pizza paradise."

"Skips?" A familiar voice spoke from outside. "Skips, are you in there?"  
"Uh oh." Rigby put his hands on his face in fear. "It's Benson!"  
"Skips, this is your boss! Open the door!"

Three furious knocks later, Skips opened the door while Rigby hid behind it.  
"Have you seen Mordecai and Rigby anywhere?" The boss crossed his arms in all seriousness, with a few gumballs shaking inside his round head.  
"Uhh…" Skips glanced at Rigby, who was shaking his head vigorously with a finger on his lips.  
The yeti easily looked back at Benson. "No, I didn't."  
"Alright. I believe you. But if ever Rigby comes by, as your boss," Benson emphasized.  
I order you to NOT entertain him until I get to talk to him and Mordecai. You got it?"

Skips looked at the shaking finger his boss was holding up.  
"I got it," affirmed the yeti, offering a toothy grin.  
"Good."  
The gumball machine walked away, a little less red in his face.

As the door closed behind him, Rigby dropped on the floor and heaved a sigh.  
"Thanks, Skips. You saved me."  
"No problem, Rigby."  
Rigby smiled and raised a finger. "Now about that po-"  
"No. Benson gave me an order."  
"What?!" Rigby stuttered for a few seconds. "But you covered for me."  
"Out of my choice. But I have an order now," Skips said. "I won't entertain you."

The yeti skipped around and peeked over his covered window.  
"Come on," Rigby pleaded. "Benson's never gonna know. Not from me!"  
Skips held the raccoon's shoulders.  
"Rigby, look at the corner of the room."  
Rigby looked up. "Which corner?"  
"The right one."  
"Uhh…" Rigby blinked two times. "Which one's right?"  
Unsurprised, Skips turned his head to the proper direction. "There."

Rigby's eyes widened in realization.  
"Why do you have a camera in your room?!" He immediately scurried for cover but Skips held him still.  
"Nooo! Benson's gonna catch me!"  
"Stop. That camera's still not operational. It's got a schedule."  
"A what?" Rigby's mouth opened in disbelief. "Why would a security camera have a schedule?"

Skips just shrugged.  
Rigby looked at him with hope. "When's it gonna work again?"

Skips looked at a nearby clock, narrowing his eyes for a clearer view.  
"Uh…"  
The clock hands ticked loudly as he tried to process the time.  
"2 seconds."  
"What?!"

The raccoon instantly jumped outside the room, not bothering to close the door.  
Breathing rapidly and hoping Benson was nowhere nearby, Rigby returned to his room.

"Oh, Mordecai." He stared at the ominous portal, which seemed to be growing on his bed.

Someplace in another continent, a light bulb was turned on.

"Ah, the phone!"

_X_

Rigby tiptoed the rest of the way to the living room.  
Muscleman and HFG were no longer playing video games. To his surprise, the room stayed clean.  
"Huh, they _clean_ after playing?" He checked under the pillows for possible leftover chips. "Laaame."

He looked over the window and saw Benson, driving away with his cart.  
That removed one of the monsters in the house.

"Phone. Phone. Gotta hurt!"  
No longer tiptoeing, Rigby rushed to the apartment phone and dialed an ever trustworthy number.

"Margaret, are you there?" He practically screamed over the phone.  
"Oh hello, Rigby," was the casual reply from the other side.  
"Eileen?" Rigby stammered. "Why do you have Margaret's phone? Ah, what is-"  
"Rigby?" The tiny voice worried over the line. "Is there something wrong?"  
"Mordecai- ah, what is this?" Rigby rapidly fired away lots of words. "My heart started skipping a beat once I heard your voice and I don't know why. But Mordecai needs-"

"Eileen? Margaret? Mordecai needs your help! He-"

A broken line answered him.

"Ah, what?!"  
Rigby looked around in frustration.

The video game console offered company.  
Rigby snarled at the temptation and shook his head.  
"Uhhh… who else can help me?"

The video game console remained appealing.  
Rigby gritted his teeth.  
"I'm not gonna play without my best friend."

Then suddenly…  
In the previously mentioned continent, another light bulb was turned on.

"Pops!"  
The raccoon proceeded with his mission and ran for it.

"Pops, are you there?" knocked Rigby, quite loudly. "Pops!"  
The door was opened moments later, showing no signs of the usual cheerfulness but only the stern face of a big man in the shape of a big lollipop.  
"Rigby!" He raised a serious finger. "I thought I already told you that knocking should be done gently!"

Rigby ignored his statement and shook him wildly. "Pops, you're the only one left who can help Mordecai!"  
"But I have to talk to my father five minutes from now," Pops said while adjusting a fake moustache. "I was just about to go."  
"NO! Forget your father!" Rigby cried. "My best friend might be in a pizza paradise alone!"  
"No can do," Pops declined with a hint of sadness. "The park's status will depend on this interaction. I have to go, Rigby."

Rigby was about to relive every sad experience of his past when he was left alone… but he steeled his will and shoved the thoughts away.  
Watching Pops go down the stairs, Rigby decided he would have to fix things by himself.

He did regret not asking Pops about the fake moustache though.

_xJUDY I_

"Hold up, Wesselton!" The petite bunny officer raised a gun in warning, a carrot keychain jangling from a pocket.  
The suspect hid around a corner and shouted back, "It's Weaselton!"  
"I should've had you arrested back then!" Warning shots were fired. Tranq shots bounced against obstacles.

Judy Hopps turned to her comms device and spoke, "Nick, where the heck are you?"  
"Still in the subway. Uhh… Carrots?" The worried voice paused, and then continued with a steadier but slower voice. "I think we're in a much bigger problem than what we expected."  
"What is it?" Judy asked, while constantly checking the area before her. "I have Weaselton cornered but I'm about to run out of ammo."

The phone was answered by lots of growls and ominous shuffling.  
"Nick? Nick?! Nick Wilde, answer me!"

The phone went dead.  
Judy's face contorted to a conflicted expression, holding her frustration in.

"Playtime's over, Weaselton," murmured Judy as she reloaded the last magazine.

"Wh- wha! Where the heck did you come from?!" Weaselton exclaimed as he ran out of hiding.

Judy ignored the weasel's cries and focused on him as a target.  
"You finally surrendered, suspect!"  
"AHHH!"  
He continued running as if the gun presented lesser danger to him.  
"Arrest me! Arrest me!"  
"What?"  
Despite her clueless reaction, Judy decided to make sure and fired one shot at Weaselton, who instantly dropped unconscious to the ground.

"Nick," said the bunny, checking on her device again. "Are you in there?"

There was no answer.  
Hopps switched channels.

"Clawhauser, Weaselton's down. Focus back-up on Nick's side."  
"Okay, got it," was the quick reply.

Judy kept holding her gun and approached the corner from where Weaselton had run off.  
There seemed to be a shadow of a bird protruding from the area.  
"This is Officer Hopps of the ZPD. Whoever you are, present yourself with hands raised!"

She was answered by deep muffled grunts with the shadow wildly moving as if about to attack.  
"We mean no harm! You just happened to be near a case incident. We will inquire you with a few questions and you can be free to go."

Judy grunted, a little uncertain.  
She was running out of police lines to say.  
The muffled grunts continued, leaving Judy unsure whether she was supposed to engage with the unknown creature or allow it to present itself.

The decision was made for her moments later.

A tall blue creature appeared from the corner, covered with dust and trash.  
However, what made an impression was the face of the creature. It was covered with thick leather along with two round circles for its eyes which looked deformed.  
Behind it was a swirling matter that seemed to be pulling it, with its feathers being drawn to the abck.

"What is that?!"

Judy immediately hopped backwards as she felt a force pull on her feet.  
She realized the creature was thrashing, as if wanting to break free of some chains.  
Its two beige eyes stared at her threateningly.

Judy's ears dropped in growing fear.  
Nothing in the ZPD rules and regulations gave a hint on supernatural entities.

That was when the swirling matter vanished and the thick leather on the creature's face fell, revealing a new face with no signs of hideousness.  
It was just a blue jay, coughing away the dust.

"What just happened?" Judy had to close her gaping mouth using a hand.

The coughing continued for a few more seconds, then the blue jay seemed to register the outfit below him. "Eugh. Rigby's butt cheek pants! It must've been sucked along with me."

Judy's face reddened in embarrassment.  
What she thought were eyes were actually butt cheeks on a pair of pants.  
She would never tell the other though.  
Besides, why would there be such a thing like butt cheek pants?

"Wh- where am I?"  
The jay blinked a lot, as if unable to take the location before him.  
"AHHH!" He jumped back in surprise. "Is that a dead body?!"  
The bird looked around frantically. "Where did that portal take me?!"

"What? Woah. Woah. Woah." Judy raised her two hands slowly in goodwill. "I'm not sure what's happening too…" She pointed a finger on her back. "But that definitely isn't a dead body. He's an aggressive suspect hit by a tranq shot."

"Uhhh…" For three whole seconds, the jay stared at her, with drool almost dropping from his mouth.  
He finally said," Have you seen a guy named Rigby?"

_xNICK I_

"If it isn't Smellwether," Nick Wilde intoned with a hint of amusement.  
"You're that fox with Officer Hopps."  
The fox's smile deepened, with a guarded glint in his eye. "Yes, I am."

"So, yeah." The small sheep looked down at the smashed mess of what had been a functional comms device just seconds ago. "You actually did it."  
"Yes, now my part of the deal, if I may?"  
The smile and amusement remained.

But ex-mayor Bellwether knew better.

"I can sense urgency in you, Officer Wilde," she said, allowing herself a small smirk. "For good reason."  
"You have my partner, Carrots."  
"And I also have all the time in the world!"  
"Okay. I already broke the phone." The dropped his smile. "She thinks I'm in danger. She will surely come."  
"And you're going to help me or she gets it."  
"Tell me about it."

"You're too compliant. You probably think you'll find a way to trick me." Bellwether frowned. "I'm not going back to prison again. That pig Swinton was a pain!"  
Nick pressed his back against the tree behind him, stretching the ropes bound around his waist.  
"There are other places worse than prison."

Between the two animals was a campfire, releasing a long streak of smoke high up in the air.  
Trees swayed gently around them, a few lasting raindrops falling unto the ground.

"Meh. That's enough." The sheep raised a hand. "Doug, go fetch me a phone!"  
A few seconds later, a large ram in yellow scientist's clothes handed her the specified gadget, immediately retreating after.

"Officer Wilde," Bellwether addressed. "This phone here only has three contact numbers. One is for Doug. One is for your Carrots." There was a small pause. Nick did not bother to reply.  
"Whose number do you think the last one is?"  
The fox snorted, deciding to entertain her. "Lionheart. Weaselton. Mr. Big. There's also Chief Bogo. And oh, Carrots just recently changed her number."

"Is that so? Oh, no worries." The sheep gave a shrill laugh. "I still have hold on her. It's not only Weaselton's tracks that she has stepped in."  
She took Nick's low growl as a factor for amusement. "Anyway, we got other pressing matters. I want you to call the Chief and falsely inform his force."

There was a pause as their eyes locked.  
"No tricks. Say exactly what I'm going to have you say."  
Nick gave a thin smile. "The Chief will surely notice me speaking differently. It won't work that way."

The phone was thrown over and Nick caught it with his mouth, teeth bared, before dropping it down on a hand.  
"You're not scaring me, Wilde." Bellwether shrugged. "I had you watched all the time. I'm not putting a wager on a losing action."  
The fox looked up with determined eyes. "So am I."

"Oh, that's right." The ram returned from the shadows to hand her two pieces of paper.  
"You actually have two choices," she continued, flashing the papers before him. "Would you want to help a district or two… or save our only bunny officer?"

Silence ensued.  
The calm campfire continued burning, contrasting the strong rains in the nearby district.

_xRIGBY II_

"AHHHH!"  
Passing through what might have been a space-time continuum entity, Rigby closed his eyes to hold his sanity.

He was spared further pain when he felt himself hit the ground.  
"Ow…"

The raccoon blinked as his eyes registered the place before him.  
"Woah! This place's more detailed than the park!"

Right above him was a constantly moving rotation of rides.  
Only then did he realize that it was raining, and his fur was getting wet.  
Instead of running for cover, his expression morphed into happiness.  
"Rainforest!"

Looking more closely, he noticed the numerous bridges lined up from tree to tree.  
He seemed to be on the higher spot of the area.  
Standing over a corner, he could see tiny figures moving below.  
Some houses were hugging tree trunks while others were literally hanging around.

" _Hanging around!"_ Rigby waved a hand behind him. "Mordecai, you gotta see thi-"  
Reality hit him and he smacked his head.  
"I gotta find Mordecai. Where did that portal take us?"

Just as he started walking, he gasped at what he thought.  
"What if we were brought into _two_ different worlds? Where's my pizza paradise?!"

Somewhere nearby, loud police sirens were heard.  
Rigby hid behind a large leaf, with a conveniently more leafy covers above him too.  
Getting his fur wet would ruin his pretty skin.  
"Why are there cops here?" he whispered.

"Clawhauser! Where's you just send the back-up?!" a strong voice shouted.  
Rigby found it came from a big muscled buffalo. He seemed to be the leader of the group.  
"Ah… that-" A chubby cheetah in a similar police uniform hastily got out of a police car. "Hopps reuested backup for Officer Wilde's side."

"Man, those guys are huge!" Rigby murmured as he counted at least ten police officers. "These guys have equality the park will never have."

"Any signs of the wolves around here?"  
"No, chief," a tiger answered dutifully. "I think we have been misled to take this course of action."  
"But that information came _directly_ from Officer Wilde! Are you telling me to doubt him?"

"Woah!" Rigby muttered, not understanding the situation. "This feels like a scene directly from a movie! HD! Woooooooohh!"  
He quickly closed his mouth, hoping he wasn't heard.

However, the bushes behind him started shaking ominously.  
Rigby failed to suppress a shriek as he turned around.  
"I- I didn't mean to eavesdrop!"

A small white furry hand came out of the bushes and gripped his feet.  
"AHHHH!" Rigby screamed as he tried to pull himself backwards.  
"Would you shut up already?!" a deep masculine voice grunted.

Rigby was then dragged deeper into the leaves, muffling his cries which nobody else got to hear.

_xTOUGHER THAN A COVER_  
_xMORDECAI I_

"I have no idea what I'm doing," Mordecai deadpanned as he adjusted the sleeves of his recently acquired uniform.  
Judy Hopps confronted him with a stern look. "Normally, I would send you to the city capital with the proper directions…" The bunny hesitated with a pause. "But the city's in danger now, and you somehow ended up right in the middle of it."

"There was a portal in Rigby's bed," said the jay, as if it was completely normal.  
" _I_ find it hard to believe," admitted Judy.  
"Would you find it hard to believe if I told you I already had a girlfriend?"  
The officer laughed, a bit unsure. "I don't know. You look different than the rest of us."

Mordecai looked at himself and took note of the difference of their color textures.  
He shrugged nonchalantly. "Must be the global warming from our side."  
"Alright. We're close."

"Are you sure you should be carrying the suspect like that?" asked the bird as he gestured at Judy, who had an unconscious Weaselton by the shoulder.  
"We'll need him passed out for a longer time or he would expose us," was the reply in a matter-of-fact tone.

Mordecai raised a whisper, "How am I supposed to find my friend? This place is huge!"  
"It's a Downtown terminal. A station or something. We got a long way to go."  
Judy looked over a corner then jumped forward to another truck trailer. She looked back to wave her companion to follow.  
The blue jay nodded and obeyed.

Judy continued speaking, "Well, based from what you said… how do you know this friend of yours actually followed you?"  
Mordecai frowned. "It's Rigby! He's the one who's curious about the portal anyway. I was just trying to cover it with tape."  
"Tape." The bunny gave a small laugh. "If dark and ominous swirling matters can be stopped by tape, lots of things would be easier."  
The tall bird nodded solemnly. "Agreed."

"Like stopping bullets," Judy added lightly, just to keep her nerves straight with conversation. She was glad it did not show when she held her flashlight.  
The two animals had to crouch to cross a following pipe system. Judy was more careful, with Weaselton adding on to her size.

"Like blocking echoes in this place," whispered Mordecai. "You think someone might hear us?"  
"I don't think so." Judy knocked on the upper part of the pipe. "I made sure we're taking the long cut so Bellwether won't expect us. Tsunamis."  
"Who's this Bellwether anyway?" The jay grunted as he almost hit his head against a broken hold. "Sinkholes?"

"Our ex-mayor. Once set the city in chaos with night howlers." Judy hummed for a second. "Typhoons."  
"Night howlers? Like wolves or something? Uhhh… Black holes?"  
There was a fork up ahead. Mordecai worried over the possibility of getting lost but Judy simply turned left.

"Our answers are becoming more stupid the longer the game continues, eh?"  
The jay was relieved he could actually feel delight from the voice of his companion. He thought he was acting senseless again around a girl, if being clueless in a bad situation wasn't terrible enough.  
"Night howlers are flowers that can be turned into bullets. So as a new slogan says, _Don't pick up the flowers._ "

Mordecai laughed as if it was a silly joke. "Seriously?"  
"Yeah. Don't confuse it with blueberries though." Judy gave a low chuckle.  
The path through the pipes did not seem to be getting any signs of an exit but Mordecai felt confident enough, with the bunny looking energet-  
"My partner's very fond of blueberries."  
Nevermind.

Mordecai stared at the numerous weapons around the bunny's waist.  
It seemed being a police in their universe was no easy task.  
He felt a little guilty tripping with the police in his own area.  
"The swirling feeling of possibly losing someone special."  
"Huh?" The bunny stopped and turned around with a confused expression.

"We're going to tape that feeling away."

_xNick II_

"Come here, Wilde." Dawn Bellwether gave the fox a firm gaze. "You won't be getting anywhere."

Nick was given a rough push from the back. The large ram did not force it though and walked past him.  
While rubbing his waist part, the red fox slowly followed while moving a few chunks of rocks from the ground with his feet.

"So Miss Bellwether, we're partners now?" Nick offered a hand once he caught up with the small sheep.  
"Still acting sly, fox?"  
"I got a reputation as a con artist to preserve." A thin smile succeeded the statement.  
The sheep grunted in acknowledgment. "You still got that phone?"  
"Yes. Yes," said Nick as he took the gadget out of a pocket, spinning it skillfully on a hand. "These tiny things need to be taken care of."  
"I'm going to make you initiate another call." The smaller animal seemed to be considering possibilities in her mind. "This time to Officer Hopps."

Bellwether looked up at him expectantly.  
He only raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "What's the message?"  
"Tell her we're in the campfire spot," said Bellwether, waving a hand back at the trace of the site they left. "Don't worry. I just need to confuse her."  
"Hold on a sec."

As Nick started to type a few words, his expression changed to that of a negative realization. "I don't really remember Carrots' number."  
"Don't you?" Bellwether did not even look back, but Nick's attention was caught by the sheep reloading a gun.  
"Wait. I think I got it," muttered the fox, along with more gibberish words. "Any other things to say?"  
He leaned down to show the sheep his message.

"Never trust a fox, that's what they say." Bellwether shrugged. "Send it as you want."  
"So are we in the next phase of this mission already?" Nick asked as he showed the sheep the notification for the sent message."  
The ex-mayor gave a small nod. "Keep that phone for yourself. You're going to need it to contact me later."  
"As you say," was the casual reply.

From somewhere distant, sirens wailing could be heard by the naked ear.  
"Don't think you can keep playing mind games for long, Wilde."  
"Mind games?" Nick firmly shook his head. "No. No. No. I'm just doing what's best for my life. No use to resist." He shrugged.

"So…" Bellwether turned to him, as they stepped on the Savanna Central's main park.  
What would normally still be filled with animals was currently empty, save for the moon's light shining on rushing animals.  
"I have good news and bad news for you."  
Nick got a blueberry from his pocketed red handkerchief.  
"I'm listening."

"The good news is…" Bellwether touched his hand.  
To Nick's genuine astonishment, she actually handed over her gun. "We're actually parting ways."  
Nick managed to obtain his shock with a single raised eyebrow. It felt unnaturally higher than what was comfortable.

"And the bad news…?" He tried not to put any hope in his words.  
He briefly thought about the possibility that the gun could be empty but he did not dare check. He was not given any bullet magazine too.  
"You need to wait for the police force to arrive."

Bellwether gave a firm smirk as she entered the hauntingly silent police department building, along with a few rams for guardians.  
"I'll give you the details through the phone."

Nick stared blankly at the sheep walking farther away.  
"So this means I can't run away?" Nick frowned as he realized he had no more blueberries in store.  
"Oh, you can try."

_xRIGBY III_

Rigby quivered in horror as he finally saw the face, lined up with clean sharp teeth.  
He was not being pulled by its paw anymore but he knew he would not be able to run away.  
"Please sto-oh-oh-op!" He cried. "I just wanted to find my friend!"  
"Shut your mouth already!" was the reply of its heavy voice.

The raccoon noticed as the timber wolf before him seemed to scratch his face.  
"What are you doing?" He asked hesitantly.  
There were a few muffled grunts before it was revealed that the assailant was no actual timber wolf, but rather a small fennec fox.  
Rigby failed to hide his amusement.  
"You're a toddler!"

A single second of transformation from an adorable face to a sour frown was enough to make Rigby gasp and freeze.  
"Next time you call me such, I'll bite your face off!" The fox emphasized the statement with a rough punch on the shoulder.  
"Ow!" Rigby massaged the struck shoulder, grumbling. "That's worse than Mordecai's."

The fennec moved out of his costume, which Rigby just realized was somewhat poorly made.  
"Why are you dressed as a wolf?" He whispered, loud enough to be heard over the rain.  
The frown deepened. "It's not my job to tell you."

"Hmmm." Rigby narrowed his eyes. "Fine. But I can do this."  
He inhaled a large breath, then shouted moments later. "AHHHHHHH!"

He was instantly given another punch, this time to the head.  
His short cry of pain echoed with the still resounding yell. Then this ability to speak was taken away when the fennec blocked his mouth with sandy fur.  
"HMM! MM!" Rigby struggled, only to find out the fox was a lot stronger than him.  
"Don't make this harder than it is." He pulled the then drenched wolf costume over his shoulder and the raccoon over another, making his stature lean forward with two hands raised.

"HMM MM MM MM!"  
The fox threatened him with a low growl, before starting to walk.  
"Hmm mm mmmm!"  
The sandy hand was taken away.  
"Where are you taking me?!" Rigby asked.  
"None of your business."  
"It's my business if you're taking me to it!" was practically the scream of the raccoon.

His mouth was blocked again by a furry paw.

The police sirens seemed to be growing louder, with a few lights actually making contact with the leafy covers around them.  
The rain managed to muffle the sound of their footsteps against the little height of flood.

The fox tilted to Rigby's side, to get something from his pocket.  
Rigby held on for his dear life, still muted.  
It was a cellphone with a message notification.  
His mouth was freed when the fennec stopped and focused the use of his hands on the phone.  
"Uhh… Stupid tools."

Rigby watched closely as the message was opened.  
"Judy, we're settled around a campfire somewhere outside Rainforest District. Meet you there."  
The raccoon suddenly burst into laughter. "Your name is Judy?!"  
He received a punch, with which he already lost the count of, and he fell flat on the ground. "Ow."

"This one's not meant for me. And the name's Finnick, chump."  
Rigby put a hand on his damaged face. "I'm Rigby," followed by a little cry.

Instead of replying instantly, the fennec frowned at the phone.  
Rigby approached him carefully. "Can't think of a reply to send?"  
The fox looked at him, which sent minor shivers down his spine.  
"I- I meant no offense!"  
"This here…" Finnick pointed a finger at one part of the message. "-isn't what Nick calls his little bunny."

"Uhhh…" Rigby shook his head. "Nick? A bunny?"  
"The fox and his Carrots." The fennec did not bother to elaborate.  
"Do foxes eat carrots?"  
"Not me. Not fond of it," answered Finnick, for once actually talking to him.  
Rigby took the chance. "So what's happening around here?"

What was ignored a while ago, Rigby was now hearing information about.  
"Stupid police force failing to hold a crazy ex-mayor in prison. I'm just asked by a partner for help." A few taps on the phone later, "With profit, of course."

"So this Nick and Judy are our friends?"  
He was given an affirmative grunt.  
Rigby fired away lots of other question, while they started walking again.  
"Nick calls her Carrots."  
"Oh, does he like her?"

To Rigby's surprise, the sour fox actually chuckled.  
"You bet he does."

_xMORDECAI II_

"Are you sure we're just going to leave him here?"  
Mordecai stared at the tied up weasel.  
The tree he was tethered with made the suspect look awkwardly small.  
"Yeah. We're not really going to need him." Judy grunted as she continued writing with her marker. "His purpose is to stay silent for now."

"And the cardboard?"  
"Just so that passers-by would know the deal." She smiled at her idea. "It's part of my job."

" _Do not imitate. I'm a criminal."_

"The cardboard makes it look like a terrible prank," Mordecai said honestly.  
"We don't have much material. And we need to go."

They had finally passed the pipe system a few moments ago and the fresh air had given a nice feeling to their troubled lungs, but the officer insisted they move on.  
Just as she was telling the jay about their upcoming task, Judy felt her personal phone vibrate in her pocket.  
"Is it time already?"

The bunny officer gasped as she read the message in her phone.  
"What is it?" The blue jay behind her shuffled a bit. "Is it danger?"  
She thought it was the sign for her parents' nightly call but found it came from a certain ally – and a text from him at the current time meant no good.  
"Danger," affirmed the cop with a whisper, as she allowed her companion to read the message. "And it's just on the other side of this building."

" _Carrots. In front of ZPD. Sheep just happened."_

"Carrots?"  
Mordecai raised an eyebrow as the bunny impulsively looked at him. "So that's what your partner calls you? Is this the fox?"  
"Yeah." Judy chuckled. "Long story. Now we're here." She could sense the jay had something more to say but he did not continue.

"So, who exactly should I look out for?" Mordecai asked, guilty of still being lost.  
"Sheep in wolf's clothing."  
"Should I take that figuratively?"  
Judy gave him a puzzled look.  
"I mean…" the jay stammered. "I can take it literally too." He chuckled nervously before admitting, "I'm still confused."

"You…" Judy's face met amusement and uneasiness. "I'm sorry I'm asking a lot from you."  
She placed a hand inside one of her many pockets then took out a set of keys. "If it comes down to it, you can stay in my apartment and… the neighbors can get noisy though."  
"I know the feeling." Mordecai nodded sternly. "In our side, we have an annoying country club and a crazy park manager." He paused within the light mood. "But I have to stay with you. Rigby's out there somewhere, probably trying to find a pizza paradise."

Judy walked a few steps forward while Mordecai waited for any command or gesture.  
The latter took the moment to look at his surroundings. Based from the places he had been told about, they had actually passed two or three districts, including a _very small_ one called Rodentia or something.  
Benson could learn a lot about fairness and equality from the city design alone.

The bunny signaled for him to follow, while trying to look through the transparent glass walls.  
Unfortunately, only a few lights were turned on and Mordecai could see her having a hard time.  
Before he forgot to, follow he did.

"So, your friend is fond of pizzas?" Judy asked casually.  
Mordecai shrugged as he also looked through the glass, unsure of what to do. "Anything for appetite really."  
"How about some pies, for a gathering or something?" the cop suggested.  
"Pies?"  
"I have this friend of mine selling pies. He's a very good pastry chef, mind you." She grinned as if to remove any doubts he had.  
"I'm pretty sure Pops will appreciate that. He's the manager's son," he added quickly.  
"That's great! I'll ask for a discount."

"Well, something we can eat while playing video games is fine. Rigby would appreciate some more food in his bones."  
"Video games?" The officer grunted as she stared at the last message she received. "We don't have much time for gaming here."  
"What do you do in your free time?"

Judy sighed with an amused face. "Bet on who can take a whole Jumbo Pop faster."  
"What's a Jumbo Pop?" asked the jay as he tried to make sense of the things inside the building.  
"Really large ice cream. Business ran by an _elephant family_ ," stated Judy with a hint of distaste.  
"Explain really large," Mordecai fired away, as if challenging her.  
"Double my size."  
"How much?" He asked, dead serious.  
"15."  
"Oh yisss." Mordecai raised two hands in excitement. "We gotta try one before we get back to the par-"

Judy raised an eyebrow as her companion reached for his pockets… wherever they may be located.  
She only realized just then that he didn't really have any piece of clothing, much like the dreaded Naturalist Club.  
She decided not to press on the issue.

"What's the matter? You got no money?"  
Mordecai pulled out an old wallet and counted whatever was inside.  
"Do we have the same currency?"  
"Oh." Judy blinked. "Valid concern you got there. May I?"  
The bird handed out a bill. "That's supposed to be 20 bucks."  
"Surprisingly, design looks similar." Judy placed a hand under her chin. "We have to ask an exchange system. The café won't accept this."  
"That's all I have," said Mordecai. "Rigby probably has the same share."  
"No problem." Judy handed back the money. "I can give you guys a treat. Once we're done with pressing matters, that is."

"So, are we supposed to meet up with someone?" He frowned as his breath blurred the glass. "I don't think anyone's inside."  
" _That's_ what we want Bellwether to think," whispered Judy. "We got other officers inside, veterans like Wolford and Delgato."  
"Huh… public… image?" Mordecai narrowed his eyes. "Is that you on the poster?!"  
Judy laughed to cover her embarrassment. "The ZPD insisted. I really didn't have much to say. Clawhauser – he's the receptionist of the building – _however_ , had so much to say about my supposedly standard qualities."

"Woah. I can't believe I got to be with the hottest officer in town." He glanced at the tied up weasel they left. "And a criminal.  
"Public image is more than appearance," Judy answered, unfazed by the compliment. "Your personal record matters. Your attitude and such."  
"So you're one of the veterans, huh?"  
"Not really. I even started out as a meter maid."

"Wait. I'm counting sheep." His tone changed, albeit a little muffled by his closeness to the glass.  
"Literally?" Judy asked to make sure.  
"On the right side of the poster. Or are those goats?"  
"Her bodyguards are rams." Judy gave him a firm part and whispered, "Kneel. Kneel. We might get seen."  
"Bodyguards?" So that small one is ex-mayor Bellwether?"  
"Sheep in wolf's clothing," the officer reminded him.  
"Huh. Got the world upside down here, eh?"  
Judy bobbed her head in confirmation. "Precisely."

Mordecai was given another nudge. He turned to Judy and realized she was offering him what seemed to be a weapon.  
"I'm not sure what that is."  
"It's a fox tazer."  
Mordecai took it gingerly. "Why's it called a _fox_ tazer?"  
"Branded products. My parents bought a lot from Fox Away." Judy looked at the weapon with a soft expression. "There was a time when even I didn't trust any fox."  
" _Was?_ "  
"Yeah. You should see my partner, Nick. He's one good fox."

"That's cool! Do you-" Mordecai froze as he almost made a claim that she probably liked him. He quickly changed the focus. "So how do I use this?"  
"Just click the button on the bottom."  
As Mordecai turned the tool around, Judy swiftly warned him. "Not now. It gives quite a strong shock." She chuckled. "You'll be shocked too. But you'll need it."

"Shock?" The jay frowned. "Won't it affect my brain?"  
"No! No." Judy shook her head, showing a little amusement. "It's just meant to knock animals unconscious. And you're going to use _that_ for her bodyguards." Her fingers had started pointing commands and actions.  
" _Me?"_

Mordecai realized they had already found a door in what he thought would be an endless sneaking around the building's corners.  
"We're going in."  
As Judy gently opened the door, the jay asked one last question.  
"What are you going to use?"

He was given an assuring look.  
"Blueberries."


	2. Faster and Stronger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regular Show summary:  
> Mordecai turns into an alternate character after being hit by the Night Howler serum. Rigby stumbles upon Margaret outside the rainforests while Eileen adds up to the Zootopian confusion or possibly, hope.  
> To clarify for this chapter: Iacedrom is correct. Ygbir is correct. In the show, there is an episode (Jinx) where a Negative-Rigby or the Ybgir (of that spelling) shows up.
> 
> Zootopia summary:  
> Nick convinces an alien presence to help him. Finnick gains an additional hindrance in his shoulders. Judy meets up with the other police officers and tries to build another plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Regular Show and Zootopia.

_xFASTER THAN A TRIGGER  
xJUDY II_

Judy trusted herself not making a decision she would regret later.  
But rather than hopeful, majority of thoughts would jump inside the boundary of worry.  
She had just assigned a total stranger to do work for her, and it meant getting separated.  
A tall jay like him would have more chances to be seen by the wrong eyes rather than be safe in a supposedly more winding path.  
In a way, she felt like she just employed a decoy out of him.

For one short set of conversations, the bunny realized how much she cared for the citizens. Any citizen.  
Currently, she had one goal for them – to meet up with the other ZPD officers.

Judy was trying to keep track of the numerous jobs the force had arranged for them.  
Swinton the pig efficient with a baton, was assigned to leave specific doors open to mislead Bellwether and if ever given the chance, delay her for whatever she planned to do.  
Grizzoli the brawny lion would keep one Fire Exit sign turned on for the back-up to see and once they arrived, have his self to join and guide them.

If the jay was right about his assumptions, the ex-mayor would probably go for the Chief's office where classified papers about Night Howlers were kept.  
The path Bellwether was currently heading through meant the false doors Swinton had set wouldn't have to be used, and it would naturally put the others up the task.

Wolford as a mobile wolf was waiting with a few others inside the mayor's office.  
Fangmeyer the unswerving and loyal tiger was single-handedly guarding the boilers, where nearby was the generator system.  
Bellwether could have a bodyguard or two try to turn the lights back up, while she herself could go for the main office to get someone's credentials for the department's computer room.

There were probably no more than ten officers inside the building, including herself, depending on how Clawhauser mobilized the follow-up for Nick's side.  
Bogo could have ordered all possible squads left.  
Judy still had to debate where she would go first, while wishing she could get to see a certain vulpine.  
He was just on the other side of the building the time he sent the message, or so the message said.

For all she knew, it could be a trick by Bellwether.  
The number wasn't even his to start.  
But she felt otherwise, and wanted to believe Nick had a small but genius plan.  
Grunting, she shook her head and the worrying thoughts away.  
It was a bit of the reason why she actually sent Mordecai away.  
She would do better to not focus on it currently.

One weak gunshot was fired.  
Judy immediately ran for cover, gritting her teeth as she had a bad turn.  
The bunny quickly studied the situation.  
It looked more like a small threat rather than a reaction to sighting her.  
However, a silenced gun could either mean Bellwether had been ready all along for a possible confrontation and had wanted to settle things quietly or one of the officers could be making a risky signal of offense.  
It was on one of the proposed of courses after all but highly not favored.  
Still, it was possible.

She could hear footsteps from her left side. It wasn't Bellwether but rather a ram.  
She could feel it from the weight of the steps on the cold floor, with the singular sound of their rhythm.  
While her partner had a heightened sense of smell, she was confident in trusting her sense of hearing.

It meant Bellwether went for the higher offices and one ram was sent for her location to get the generator system.  
She could signal Fangmeyer for help.  
Rams were more of brute force and brawl rather than a tactical approach, probably Fangmeyer too, but Judy could outsmart one or two.  
Plus, they probably had more focus on the goal instead of possible confrontations.

She reached for her comms device and slowly chose the appropriate channel for the nearby tiger officer.  
She held the voice button and immediately rubbed her hand against the phone.

A rough rub meant necessary silence.  
The call was answered but nobody replied.

Judy's initial relief compelled her with a more courageous drive for the upcoming presentation.  
She gave it a series of soft taps to ask for help, repeating it once to feel assured.

There was still no answer, but Judy released the button.  
She hoped the message was clear.

The bunny cop breathed deeply then started counting to ten, while imagining a red fox in green tee eating the same number of blueberries for a cheerful thought. "Okay, here goes."

She swiftly sprung to her feet and adjusted the then reloaded gun in her grasp, putting her hopes for blueberries to deal enough impact to knock someone unconscious.  
The door to the boilers was roughly opened and she saw in the corner of her eyes the tiger looking neat with his uniform.  
However, her relief quickly vanished.  
Right before them was indeed a ram, one of the more muscular ones. What Judy did not anticipate was the ram actually carrying one smirking Bellwether.

"Shoot them now!" Judy yelled as she stood firm in her stance. Bullets started flying across the area. The ram only turned around, also covering Bellwether, and the shots went stuck in a bulletproof vest while Judy's splattered to become smashed blueberries.  
"The other parts of the body!"  
"Too late."

Bellwether jumped out of the fluffy cover and fired a shot from her own gun. The bunny instinctively stooped and covered her face. A few seconds of silence, she still hadn't felt nothing but turned around to realize Fangmeyer was roaring in pain, and holding his chest.  
"Fangmeyer?!" Judy ran to her fellow officer, offering feeble support.  
"Stay away from the tiger or _he'll_ make you next." Bellwether whistled lightly.  
"What?"

It was then that Judy noticed the rapid eye movement and the uncontrollable twitches the tiger was having.  
"Night howlers?!" She turned to Bellwether in desbelief. "How?!"  
"No questions will be entertained." The ram beside the ex-mayor fired a net from his gun and entangled the pained victim. "But _you_ will entertain us."

Looking over at the netted officer and at Bellwether heightened the sense of desperation Judy was feeling.  
"No!"  
She hopped from cover to cover and got her comms device. She aimed for the other squad in the building, hoping they weren't having any encounter themselves.

"Awoo awoooo!" rushed the officer into the speaker, ignoring how pitched her voice became.

Code Howl A2.  
Everyone was to form a tight pack and to approach a set of targets together  
She could have just mentioned the particular code but she knew some of the others had yet to master combat guidelines.  
She was answered with a short rejection, with one of the officers explaining the battle they were in.  
She tried the same for the others, yet she received the same rejection. Just how many troops did Bellwether have for the attack?

Judy was left with only one number remaining.  
It was for Nick Wilde.  
She clenched her hands against the floor, holding on to her dwindling determination.

"Officer Hopps," Bellwether sneered. "Doesn't this give you nostalgia? How long has it been since we chased each other around?"  
Perhaps no more than a month before, they did have quite a chase in the nearby museum.  
She had barely pulled through, if not for a certain fox.  
Needless to say, she definitely wanted to ask him for help.  
Ultimately, she held in bitter thought how she always ended up leaning on to him for support.

"It seems Nick broke one part of the deal. I wonder who he sent the other text message too."  
Judy tried to make sense of the scoundrel's ramblings.  
Could the ex-mayor really have stalled a full police force? Or maybe Nick tricked him and sent it to Finnick's side.  
"I rather expected it anyway," Bellwether uttered on, brimming with confidence. "But I'm sure he won't dare disappoint me, especially with you near my grasp now. I'll be sure to let him know."

Judy breathed deeply and matched it with the rhythm of her heartbeat as if to draw strength from it, not that any extra oxygen could help her in her current situation.  
Bellwether was probably trying to stall her actions too, which was not going to happen.  
"Nick," she whispered softly to the air.

With one last straw of resolution, she slowly and silently retreated, leaving a recorder behind.  
The tiger continued growling, fighting against the effects of the Night Howler serum while Judy walked through the darkness, continuously whispering the fox's name.

_xMordecai III_

Walking around a large police building had never made him so nervous.  
Mordecai never felt restrained by the borders of a police department, probably because there were always Skips around and his best friend Rigby, of course.  
He knew he could get lost in any moment then.

Apparently, his job was to meet up with either of the two foxes Judy had specified for him: a red fox or a much smaller fennec fox going by the names of Nick and Finnick, respectively.  
_'FinNick,'_ Mordecai thought with amusement. _'Hmm. Hmm. Hmm. What's it with foxes and rabbits in this place, anyway?'_

He felt a sudden air of coldness which brought him chills.  
"Brrr... It gets cold at nights without a party."

The bunny officer certainly gave him a lot of points to take note of, especially strict warnings.  
He was told not to follow Judy or walk back, nor to speak out loud.  
He was allowed to retreat and save himself though, not that he would do something a coward would do.  
It was the very reason things got a lot more complicated between him and Margaret.  
"Ugh, she must be worried."  
He was more concerned about a troubled Margaret than a furious park manager.  
Maybe he could make amends by offering his friends one of those pies Judy was suggesting him to try, or make it special for a dinner.

Yet again, his mind wandered off his main goal. All the seriousness of the situation he was in was making him anxious.  
There was also the possibility that Rigby was brought to a different universe, to an _actual_ pizza paradise where hamboning was all he needed to do to get free pizzas.  
If only hamboning could be an efficient weapon against muscled rams and crazy armed sheep.  
Was it some kind of war against a perceived equality?  
Any world had its madness, after all.

"Oh, there's the fox."  
Nick Wilde was just sitting on the entrance steps, seemingly bored with his face placed on a hand. Meanwhile, Mordecai was on the farthest side of the building corner, blocked by a glass wall and hidden by the night's shadows.  
He couldn't see the fox's whole face, settling with only the side view.

He was given detailed steps on how to approach the vulpine, depending on the situation that could be presented to him. He tried to recall her words as best as he could.  
"If Nick is still approaching with the green t-shirt raised, do _not_ stand him."  
Something gave him an idea that he probably messed up how he remembered the essentials.  
He tried to make sense of the other instances.

"If Nick is breathing, check if he is unconscious. If he is not, approach him and stun him with the tazer. Only _twice_ , not once!"  
Mordecai was pretty sure it was wrong and wouldn't apply for the fox's current state.  
Moreover, Judy did not look really enthusiastic about the possible use of the tazer.  
That definitely meant something.  
He would try not to resort to the weapon.

"If Nick arrives before Finnick, you take the tazer and give it to Nick. He will do the rest."  
He was not exactly sure whether giving an animal - possibly still bound by the enemy's chains - his only available weapon would bring good results.  
Judy however emphasized on the situation that no matter how small Finnick looked compared to him, he was not to laugh or to insult him about his size.  
He frowned. Surely not a lot of animals could become smaller than the bunny, especially for a fox kin.

"If Nick is nowhere to be found, make sure you are hidden! Remain nowhere to be found."  
Mordecai felt like he was losing grasp of a well-formed logic inside his mind.  
Anyway, he wouldn't have to think about the instance also since Nick clearly was not _nowhere to be found_ unless Judy actually meant Finnick.  
He probably lost track of the lot of proposed course of actions she mentioned.

"Uh oh." The bird touched the sides of his head, trying to gain more focus. "So if the fox is sitting, looking bored... uhh, what did Judy say?"  
Mordecai resisted the urge to strike head on, like what Rigby would undoubtedly do.  
He wasn't aiming for chaos. He just wanted to get home, and have a try for those baked pies and a Jumbo Pop.  
He realized he forgot to ask the bunny about the flavors.

He decided to observe the fox first.  
Other than sitting with a bored expression, Mordecai noticed the animal was holding a cell phone.  
It was likely the one used to send a message to his Carrots.  
_'They must be really close,'_ Mordecai thought. _'So this place's equality includes the right for any kind of relationship?'_

Just as his mind was about to wander to the possibilities of babies, Mordecai heard incoming police sirens. A lot of them.  
"Woah. Woah. Wait. Judy didn't tell me about the police."  
The police cars stopped before the building steps. Numerous animals in uniform came out of their vehicles and hid behind them with guns pointed at the building.

"We got you now, Bellwether. Stop what you are doing now!"  
Mordecai became totally clueless as to what to do. He glanced at the police force that looked wet and tired, then at Nick who seemed to have received a new message.  
He couldn't read his expression.  
But he did not expect his next action either.

Nick Wilde stood straight and raised a gun to the side of his head.

Mordecai could see lots of faces twitching from the police force, likely in shocked panic and fear.  
"What is the meaning of this Officer Wilde?!" yelled a cape buffalo as he dropped his cover along with the megaphone, moving before the others.  
"Chief, I misled your team to the Rainforest District and I must pay the price."

 _'Huh.'_ Mordecai did not expect the fox to have such a sly-sounding voice, even if he just announced what could be a horrifying decision.  
He was getting increasingly nervous, uncertain whether to act and jump behind him.  
They were just a sliding door away, assuming the door was still functional.  
Bellwether did manage to enter.

"Stop it with the games and tricks, Wilde." The chief raised a large finger. "We have an entire squad of officers inside _including_ Judy Hopps. You wouldn't want to delay us."  
The fox raised his unused arm with a shrug. Still, it offered an awkward but sinister aura.  
"Unfortunately, I'm under the orders of Bellwether to do this."  
Mordecai felt like he was not supposed to see or even be involved in this any longer.

"And _you_ would _shoot_ yourself?" The buffalo gave him a stern glare. "For what? Playing into the sheep's hands?"  
There was a small pause.  
The sirens offered a dizzying rhythm of noise.  
Nick Wilde sighed. "Trust me, Chief. Bellwether's inside." His tail twitched a bit, as he started speaking more softly. "She can't watch me now. But if she doesn't see me... unconscious or something, she'd know I blew it."

Right then, a chubby cheetah rushed out of a police car with a worried face.  
"But what about Officer Hopps, Nick?"  
There was a donut under his collar. He must be the receptionist Judy was talking about. His uniform looked awkward with the urgency of the situation.  
"Anytime now, any of the officers inside can call us for help," the buffalo pointed out. "And _we_ will help them if they need it."  
Nick Wilde shook his head. "But they won't do that or else they would risk having their positions revealed."

Mordecai was impressed by how calm and collected the fox was.  
Judy was not exaggerating his form of ingenuity.  
Even from quite a distance, he could feel a logical confidence from him.  
"What do you suggest for us to do, then?" the chief asked, rather compliant.  
The red fox glanced at the large cheetah, probably with an apologetic look then at the leader with a reassuring smile, "Oh, you can all leave quietly and peacefully."  
There was a little bit of arrogance too, Mordecai decided.

The buffalo gave him a solid stare and a silent frown.  
"Now just leave the sirens wailing."  
Nick casually gestured for them to shoo away using his free hand. "Make it authentic. Shoo. Shoo."  
There was a rough snort from the chief as he glanced at the gun beside the fox's head, but he started retreating anyway.  
"Oh. Oh." Nick followed up. "And don't show yourselves until you receive a message."  
The buffalo turned his head back a little. "We won't just retreat and end our jobs here, Wilde. You got that?"  
"Yes, Chief," was his brief reply, actually making it sound serious.

So that was it.  
A police force arrived and Mordecai was then clueless.  
The same police force was about to go and Mordecai was still clueless.  
What if he could use that police force for his advantage?  
What was Nick Wilde currently thinking with the gun still held up...  
And a _smirk_ in his face?

"I guess that's it." Nick seemed to be checking his phone for any new messages but he shrugged.  
He looked around and sighed.  
Mordecai started moving to the main glass doors.  
He decided he would be able to do something once the situation presented itself unavoidable right before his face.  
He hoped opening the sliding doors would not give off any sound.

The fox was still looking in the same direction.  
Mordecai took the chance.

"Hmm. Now nobody has to see a possible gruesome sight. Whatever happens to me..." He lowered the gun and bobbed his head downwards, as if he was checking the weapon.  
There were a lot more muttered words that Mordecai couldn't comprehend.  
Maybe he was texting.  
Mordecai just got behind the doors, which opened swiftly.  
He didn't know why he felt so nervous.

"Never let them see that they get to you, Wilde." The fox raised the gun to his temple again.  
He adjusted the distance a few inches away.  
"That wouldn't be right as my last words, if I do actually die, eh?"

Nick Wilde continued with a rapid succession of words, as if he was also actually nervous.  
As he approached the fox from behind with the tazer ready, he noticed the frequent twitching of the tail and the constant shifting of weight between his feet.  
He rose to the peak of the steps backwards, nearly hitting Mordecai who almost gasped himself.  
The latter only had a small time to process the already moving finger on the gun's trigger and his sudden reaction of jumping for the fox.  
It felt like his senses were heightened in slow motion.

"No, wait!"

Rain started hitting his skin.  
Mordecai could swear the gun didn't fire.  
All he could hear was the police sirens and the loud ringing in his head.

"Eeeooo-?!"

Mordecai looked up to see a blurred version of the fox, who seemed to be shaking him.  
He also noted a splatter on his left cheek... right cheek... left.  
Was a bullet supposed to be that messy when they hit a target?

"Oh gosh, it's a serum bullet."  
The sudden clarity of his sense of hearing sent another pang of dizziness to his head, causing him to hold the fox's shirt.  
"She cares about you."

Why did his mouth just say that?  
His mind felt like a puddle, like he was about to enter the Dizzy World.  
His senses seemed to play with him, becoming clear then blurred every now and then.  
Did the fox just growl at him?

"I'm gonna call Carrots."  
Mordecai frowned as he felt saliva on his face. He could see Rigby hamboning right in front of him, with that loud voice of his.  
"A tazer?!"  
His eyes felt heavy. He blinked. He shut his mouth. Did the police sirens just get silent? There seemed to be a fireworks display right before him.  
"Don't tell him about it."  
"No, I won't."  
The bunny cop smiled at him before he finally heard the gunshot in his head.  
He was definitely hit, after all.

"Stun me now!"

_xSTRONGER THAN A HOWLER  
xNick III_

He never had the chance to check on the gun, but he had a lot of opportunities to do so on his phone.  
Bellwether's order had arrived just as he had been planning to send a quick text to an ally or two.  
"When the main police force arrives, I want you to be in the middle of the steps and to shoot yourself in the head. Not too close."

He had assembled a text message for someone else, trying his best to make it sound like him.  
Carrots had never texted back, which was supposed to have made him relieved since replying to an unregistered number would be a total risk.  
But he had felt sadness, as much as he felt desperation when he just got a Night Howler bullet hit a complete stranger; one who apparently got to meet up with Carrots and was sent by the bunny herself.

Nick stared in growing horror as the blue jay seemed to morph into something more sinister, with the nerves becoming more prominent, the face outline becoming more rough and wrinkled and the legs growing much longer.  
A neat black top hat also magically appeared on his head.  
Nick had already moved far away from the creature.  
"What, is that a new side effect?"  
The body had also grown larger and the once tall bird had bent over with his previous hands becoming actual wings on his back.  
The fox noted that it seemed to morph into a more accurate representation of birds as a textbook would show.

"Iacedrom is back!" The bird looked at the fox with contempt. "And there will be no speeches here!" "What?" With the initial fear fading, Nick was becoming increasingly more shocked with the turn of events. "What the hell is with the new bullet?"  
The enraged creature raised a claw to stomp him.  
Nick swiftly rolled over and checked the magazine of his gun.  
There were no bullets left. "What are you trying, crazy sheep?!"

Iacedrom faced him with growing anger.  
"Where did you take Ygbir?!"  
There was no more room for fear. Shock overrode any other senses as Nick tried to process the numerous things, from the possible spellings of the gibberish-sounding names to the ridiculousness of the whole situation.

Still, he was in imminent danger and he didn't know what needed to be done next.  
Maybe he was actually hit by the bullet and he was currently having hallucinations.  
Way to go, science.  
Although he stretched his hands repeatedly and felt nothing out of the ordinary, he wasn't ready to altogether reject the possibility.

"You look different from those Mordecai and Rigby," the monstrosity addressed him with a much more collected voice, as he stopped stomping around. "What is this place?"  
Nick hid away his frown with his mental thoughts, not sure whether to believe or at least entertain the creature before him; like who were Mordecai and Rigby?  
There could possibly be underground agents with bounties on their heads.

"Sir, this is Zootopia you've set your feet..." he glanced at the lower part of the bird's body. "… _claws_ on."  
A brilliant idea struck him as he continued, "Where _everyone_ can be _anything!_ "  
"Hmmm." The jay stared at him with narrowed eyes. "So that means there are no rules here, like you need to give a _speech_ or something?"  
The red fox took note of the apparent disgust on one specific word.  
"A speech?" Nick raised two hands, starting to get more confident. "Why would there be rules about it if our aim is to be who we want to be and to do what we want to do?"  
The fox was given a serious nod. "Very good. This place seems to be a true embodiment of vocal freedom."

There was no use to question the turn of events. The fox decided to go along.  
"So..." Nick gave him a sly smile. "What are you going to do now?"  
"I'm going to find Ygbir." He looked around as if still skeptical of the integrity of animal rights in the place. "He better not be flooded with unnecessary speeches when I see him. It should be outlawed everywhere!"

Nick raised a finger and spoke formally, "You're right. Speeches are bad." He gave a smirk after. "And I know just one ex-mayor who plans to conquer the world with her deceitful speeches."  
"How terrible!"  
"She's a sheep going by the name of Bellwether," Nick fired away. "Let's break the restraints of speeches in this world."  
"I absolutely agree with you, fox."

Just then, Nick received a new text message.  
He frowned when he saw it was from Bellwether.  
"Wait a second, _Ice Drom_ ," Nick said confidently enough but still unsure of the name. "Just a tiny interruption here."  
"We don't have much time, fox. And it's _Iacedrom._ " Nonetheless, he was still given permission.

"Judy's inside the building. Aren't you excited for this reunion?"

Before Nick leaned over to discuss his plans, he carefully lowered a hand over the tazer he had dropped in the confusion.  
"Come on, Iacedrom." He gestured for the bird to follow him. "We're going to have a reunion."  
He would be better off with a weapon meant for foxes, although he did twist the definition a bit.

_xJudy III_

The continuous whispering left Judy's mouth rather dry.  
She hoped it would be enough to provide the necessary confusion to stall Bellwether.  
She did not have a lot of options left, nor was she planning to surrender.  
The bunny focused her hopes on her comms device and the police force outside.  
Surely, the ex-mayor would not be able to stop a full police department.

There was still the dubious case of Fangmeyer.  
Bellwether or her minions managed to hide a full operational system of Night Howlers somewhere else within the districts. For them to procure such materials in short notice, it was probably meant to be an underground uprising.  
How did Bellwether fit in while she was in prison? Most of the allies of her cause were rams already put into custody.  
Was there really a hole in their security?

Judy swiftly moved from one door to another, trying to find an open room.  
As far as she knew, only four rooms were left accessible.  
The mayor's office and the computer room were meant to serve as traps while the boilers would only serve the purpose of the generator system.  
Bellwether probably had tweaked it already to only allow flow of electricity into specific rooms.  
The officer hated to admit it but some of her minions were really smart in what they do (even with just the concept of the Howler serum itself).

Only the Chief and the Mayor had master keys so she probably wouldn't find any other rooms ope-  
"What?" Judy stumbled as she didn't expect the assistant mayor's room to open for her.  
She rubbed the arm she first fell with, groaning about sweet cheese and crackers.  
"Why is this room open?" Bellwether couldn't possibly have a spare key for the room. Duplication of keys was prohibited outside of the animals who claimed the specific roles.  
Then again, Bellwether wasn't exactly the obedient type.  
There was little or next to nothing of use inside the room though.

The staggering silence made her realize the police sirens were starting to sound weaker by the distance and location.  
Judy felt a little more vulnerable. She decided to inspect the room for a short moment, focusing on the main desk of the assistant mayor.  
She noticed the World's Greatest Dad mug was gone along with the large tank of something.  
She realized she never knew what was inside that container or that it could be part of the previous Night Howler system itself.

When she found nothing of import or interest, Judy made sure to leave the room locked.  
She was running out of time and the carrot recorder she left had probably been smashed to pieces already.  
She would have to buy another one.  
It was usually part of the pranks with Nick and the others.  
Those were the fun times, Judy thought a little bitterly.  
Being a police officer was no easy task.

Since Bellwether went for the boilers first, she probably had enough time to check for Wolford and the others, maybe even provide assistance in their encounter.  
Judy pressed her back against the doors of the mayor's room and checked her gun. She still had a few blueberries in store.  
Although she could get really pumped up for a case or two, she particularly disliked using actual bullets.  
Even tranq shots would make her uneasy. She would never tell Nick though. He would totally tease her about it.  
It was just using offensive weapons felt like a direct violation to the concepts of making a change in Zootopia. Violence would just make a never ending circle of itself.

That was enough thought to ease her nerves, if it did actually help.  
Judy breathed deeply, inhaling through her nose and exhaling through her mouth.  
After a few regulated breaths, she pushed the door and jumped into position.

The situation inside had her blink in surprise.  
There was no real mess or bullet traces anywhere.  
There was just a congregation before the mayor's desk.  
Judy counted three figures, all looking at her with shock.  
"What happened here?" she asked, before getting bombarded by exclamations.  
"Judy!"  
"Close the door!"  
"Thank goodness!"

Judy complied and jumped to their location fast.  
"Guys, I thought you were-"  
Right before her, a new companion stood up, adjusting her pair of round glasses with its red frame flicking away some reflected light.  
"Hello there. I came from the assistant mayor's room through a portal."

_xRigby IV_

"Where are we now?" Rigby asked as he looked up at the tall trees around them.  
"I'm not someone who answers every question thrown at him!" The fennec gave him an exasperated glare. "You're even more annoying than Nick and his bunny!"  
"What, I was just asking a question!" Rigby frowned, which just ticked off the small fox more.  
"The _nth_ question. Just. This. Past. 30. Minutes!"

Rigby groaned. "I just want a conversation."  
His feet touched some debris on the ground. "Oh boy, we're here!"  
Right before them was an extinguished campfire, which Finnick was told to go to by a fox named Nick.  
_'FinNick,'_ Rigby thought with amusement. _'Wait 'til Mordecai hears the joke.'_  
There seemed to be no hints of recent activity in the area. "What are we supposed to find here?" "Nothing. That jerk tricked us." Despite sounding angry, the fennec didn't really seem surprised or even annoyed.

Rigby shrugged. "So, where will we head next?"  
"I ain't helping them anymore," Finnick stated, pointing a sharp finger on the raccoon's chest. "I'm done." He threw the wolf coat he was carrying over the dead fire.  
"Aw, what a waste of material."  
The fox ignored him and said, "I'll be going back to my turf. You go do your thing."

"Wait! This isn't my world!" Rigby threw himself to the fennec. "How am I supposed to find my way out?!"  
"Go find this Mordecai you keep talking about. I'll be finding my van."  
Rigby's face brightened with cheer. "You're gonna give me a ride?"  
"No," Finnick rejected sourly. "The van's my home."  
He continued walking, dragging the raccoon without a care. "Ooh! You got a mobile house?!"

Just then, a swirling sound boomed across the area and the two animals turned their heads to the campfire where it came from.  
There, right above its fading aura, was a black ominous portal.  
Rigby instantly recognized the figure. " _That's_ how I got here! I need to get there!"  
The raccoon jumped off the fennec's shoulders and rushed to the portal. He was just about to jump in when a mysterious figure popped out from the portal.

"You're not going anywhere. Are you just going to leave Mordecai here?"  
Rigby gasped as he recognized the voice. "Margaret?"  
"What is that _thing_?" Finnick said, in disbelief.  
The raccoon shrugged then casually addressed the swirling figure of Margaret's body. "Did you have a tan or something? You're looking neat like a portal."  
The body raised its hands near its face. "Wait. Why do I look like this?"  
The animal that was supposed to be a red jay looked nothing short of hideous. Her eyes were large hollow holes while the rest of her body looked empty... or rather, _endless_ lines of black.

The portal behind the newcomer faded and Rigby groaned in disappointment.  
"Didn't the same happen to you, Rigby?"  
"No?" Rigby frowned. "Maybe it was the rain."  
"We don't have much time." Margaret touched his shoulders. "The portal in your bed seems to be shrinking."  
"Where are Benson and the others?"  
"They're asking the Immortal Club for help but Skips says Reginald is having tantrums." Margaret sighed. "So it might take a while."  
"Don't you think you just got yourself stuck here for no good reason?" deadpanned Rigby.

Margaret stared at him with hollow eyes. "Rigby, who are you with?"  
"Oh, this baby's Finnick. Don't call him short though."  
"You just insulted me, you jerk," the fox commented unhelpfully.  
"So, what were you guys doing?"  
"Finnick here was just _guiding_ me to the ZPD, where apparently," Rigby gave him a skeptical look. "...a drug battle is happening and he thinks it's where we'll find Mordecai."  
The gloomy jay ignored the sour atmosphere. "What are you waiting for? Let's go!"

"You _two_ better not set me back," Finnick grunted. "I was doing my job just fine and two hitchhikers suddenly come outta nowhere."  
The company started walking again.  
Rigby turned to Margaret, finding a new talking buddy. "Isn't he adorable?"  
"I heard you, jerk."

Margaret had more pressing inquiries in mind. "Who are we meeting up with?"  
"The police, can you believe it?" Rigby lowered his voice to a whisper. "It's not like laws are effective anymore. People just violate them."  
Margaret narrowed her eyes. "Who _exactly_ are we looking for?"  
"Ooh! Ooh!" Rigby jumped in enthusiasm. "A red fox named Nick and..." He gave a long smile. "A bunny cop named Judy _Hopps._ "  
The black jay raised a line of eyebrows. "Wait, are you into bunny cops now?"  
"What?!" Rigby exclaimed. "No! Her name is just like Skips! In her case, it's because she _hops_!"  
Margaret provided a lacking reply of "Oh."  
"I thought it would be funny," Rigby admitted.

"I don't know..."  
"Say, are you fine in your state?" Rigby asked. "Nothing jiggly or weird feelings?"  
"Nah. I'm fine. I can still feel my reporter uniform."  
Rigby only stared as his friend touched her seemingly naked body. His face transitioned to excitement. "I bet Mordecai will think you're a cool space alien."  
Margaret laughed lightly. "Or he'll be shocked like _'Huh, what is that?!'_ "  
Rigby followed with his own burst of laughter. "Dude, that impression was spot on! And then... _'Aaaah!'_ " He jumped back as if frightened. " _'Is that Margaret?!'_ "

"Silly!" Margaret was obviously having fun, even with her seemingly expressionless dark figure.  
"Besides, he's not as scaredy-cat as you!"  
"Hey!" Rigby raised two arms in exaggeration. "We played a zombie video game marathon yesterday and he screamed _more_ times than I did!"  
The dark jay brushed it off, saying, "Mordecai probably screamed more because you were doing badly."  
"What do you know about zombie games?!"

"If you two are just going to chat," Finnick growled at them over a distance, which made them turn their heads up. "Why don't you two just _go back_ and stay by the campfire?" Looking ever so sour, he continued walking. "Noisy freaks..."  
"How'd he walk so fast?" Margaret wondered out loud.  
Rigby shrugged. "He just doesn't want to feel out of place."  
"I can hear you!"  
"Good ears!" The raccoon shouted back. "How about a good mouth for having a nice chat with us?"

"How about _you_ have good ears for..."  
Finnick stammered for a while, and then decided not to continue.  
He was definitely not cut out for friendly conversations.

_xJudy IV_

The color texture of the mole reminded Judy of the partner she had been with just a few minutes ago.  
"You must be one of Mordecai's friends..." she paused, hanging for a name.  
"It's Eileen." The animal had noticeably brightened up, matching the color of her light-colored waitress uniform. "So Mordecai was here. Have you seen a red bird of the same species and figure? Her name is Margaret."

Judy immediately assumed an image of a couple out of the two jays, but inquiring about it was not her priority.  
"I'm sorry, we haven't. How many of you followed your friend to the portal?"  
Eileen frowned in thought. "Three. Rigby, Margaret and I."  
The other officers looked at them, confusion still evident in their eyes.

Judy smiled. "And here I thought you guys were in danger."  
The leader of the pack, a wolf with snow-white fur, chuckled lowly.  
"Seeing a faceless creature emerge from who-knows-where... the shock gets to you, Hopps."  
The bunny laughed uneasily. "I'm not sure if this is also Bellwether's work but I guess I can act as the middle line for both sides."  
Eileen adjusted the one tail of her wavy brown hair. "We need to hurry. There seems to be danger."  
The bunny cop nodded. "Mordecai and I actually split ways to try and corner Bellwether. My side..." Judy glanced at her fellow police animals. "…didn't go well. Fangmeyer's got Night Howler serum in him."

The other Zootopian animals gasped while Eileen just blinked. "What's this serum in question?"  
"It can cause an animal to go savage." Judy said, as if already tired of facing the aforementioned term repeatedly. "We can't let it get into the public again."  
" _Again?_ So it has happened before?" Eileen asked, rather calmly.  
"Unfortunately, it did." Judy sighed. "So I guess..." she winced, unsure on how to express her next statement. "This stuff is quite normal in your side?"  
"Yeah. Just your regular show." The tiny mole shrugged. "Benson might just fire them this time, though."  
"Who's Benson?"  
"Angry park manager."

Wolford growled over his comms device then poked Judy with a furry hand.  
"The others called before. The doors are down."  
Judy grunted in acknowledgment. At least some of her anticipations actually occurred, though it did not mean a good thing. "Okay. Enough idle talk. So if the pig and the bear are down, and Bellwether still doesn't have anyone here..." Judy frowned. "Is the chief already inside the building?"

The wolf pack shook heads.  
"Have you tried calling them?"  
"We immediately tried once we saw the swirling dark portal." The leader raised a phone. "But it seems even the network connection was sucked in."  
"Huh. That's pretty insane." Judy didn't know whether to be amazed or worried.

Wolford frowned. "The police cars are just outside though. What's taking them so long?"  
Judy grimaced. She almost forgot the entrancing sounds of the sirens.  
"It's Nick. Bellwether has him hostage and probably got him to delay the others."  
"What's he got to lose?" Wolford asked. He slightly raised a paw to show he meant no offense.  
The rabbit blinked. "You actually have a point. We can hope it is just a big hustle."  
"Doesn't he have you to lose?" Eileen pointed out, particularly at Judy. "You two sound pretty close."  
The statement was casually brushed off. "Oh, it's Nick. That silly fox probably has all of us under his hands. Bellwether thinks otherwise though."  
Eileen nodded. "So is this some major police force against an underground system or something?

"You got that right." The bunny turned to the mole. "So, this Margaret is also lost somewhere inside Zootopia?"  
"Don't worry. She always finds her way back to Mordecai."  
Judy offered a light smile. "Cheesy."  
"Rigby's unreliable though." Eileen pressed her glasses to her face. "You notice any patterns on where we appeared?"  
Judy shook her head worriedly. "We haven't even seen this Rigby yet. How will you guys get home?" "We probably have to generate a portal again and hope it brings us back to our universe. But before that..." the waitress glanced at every animal in the room. "We got a villain to catch and some friends to rescue."

\- O – O – O – O – O -


	3. Softer and Louder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regular Show summary:  
> Mordecai faces a problematic case of madness within the Dizzy World, while Rigby makes a problematic course of action. Margaret and Eileen offer help out of the boundaries.
> 
> Zootopia summary:  
> Nick and Judy seem to be unable to fix their own predicaments, relying on another world's help and careless ingenuity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Zootopia and Regular Show.

_xSOFTER THAN A WHISPER  
_ _xNick IV_

Nick Wilde felt like he was carrying a criminal inside the ZPD, not that he frequently did so.  
It was usually Judy Hopps who was aggressive and eager to bring law breakers inside.  
He was just content to be with the dumb bunny.

"You best not be tricking me, fox." Nick raised an eyebrow.  
With the officer position he gained recently, the number of the animals actually calling him by his species had been reduced greatly.  
It was ironically refreshing to hear it as an insult again.  
The fox took out the lollipop in his mouth to speak, "What gives you that idea?"  
"You have yourself beaming like an oblivious fool." The enlarged bird frowned, adjusting his top hat with a claw. "You had me thinking that this was a serious case of warfare."  
"Oh, but it is." Nick smirked all the more, just to annoy his companion. "You ever think about someone special? Adorable?"

"We do not immerse ourselves to fickle concepts." The creature cleared his throat. "Something tells our kind that we are just figments of another's imagination anyway."  
Nick grunted as he finished his lollipop. He just kept the stick inside his mouth.  
"But wouldn't it be nice moments thinking like you're something more than a common bird?" The fox hummed. "Although we don't have birds here. You're just textbook material."  
"Textbooks?" Contrary to what Nick expected, Iacedrom visibly lightened up. "Our influence has reached to the extents of this world's population?"  
"Oh yes, of course." He decided not to push the discussion.

A foreign noise caught their attention.  
Nick instantly recognized it as a tiger's growl. "Oooh. That doesn't sound good."  
Iacedrom, however, presented himself openly. "Nothing can strike fear unto me."  
"So are you up for some Night Howler battle?"  
Iacedrom looked at him sternly. "Whatever you call it, fox. I'm just here to get Ygbir."

Nick didn't want to believe he got his assumptions right.  
But there it was, an ally shot by Night Howler serum. The tiger definitely looked savage.  
"I'm here to tell you," Nick began as a warning. "He's got a virus that brings out the worst in an animal."  
He paused, considering whether to give additional information.  
Iacedrom hummed patiently. "I sense you have something else to add."  
Nick chuckled nervously. "Although you might not know it, you also have it inside you. So it's kinda like a battle of who's got a stronger response with the serum."  
The jay huffed proudly. "I may have come from a less technologically advanced world, but I sure am much more powerful than any known virus and any _angry kitten_."

Fangmeyer jumped off the main reception desk and roared at Iacedrom, ready to pounce at any moment.  
The bird spread his wings wide and squawked threateningly.  
Nick Wilde checked his pockets for any food and was disappointed to find nothing left. He glanced over at the starting match and spoke to his bet, "I can give you advice, Mister Iacedrom!"  
"There is no need to trouble you for such a simple task." Iacedrom charged valiantly, talons ready to attack. Officer Fangmeyer bared his fangs and bounded with his own claws ready.

Nick merely hummed as he made himself comfortable in a corner while the fight was ongoing.  
"There's less trouble in trying to avoid a bigger one."  
Initially, the fight seemed to be going fairly but it slowly became clear that the bird was at a disadvantage.  
Iacedrom was keen to use his flight as a winning edge but whenever he would go down for an attack, the tiger proved more fierce and offered greater threat.  
However, the fox could still see a lot of openings for the enemy.  
For one, they could engage him two versus one but he preferred not to do the dirty work.

"Having a hard time, ice drone?" Nick asked, before getting pleased upon discovering that the phone Bellwether had handed to him had a shooting game in it. "Pew. Pew."  
He initialized the game, while giving a few glances to his companion every now and then.  
He could probably still finish a level or two. Nick just hoped the original bird and tiger wouldn't mind having a few warriors' bruises, once they recover from the virus.

After a brief loading time, the main game started but Nick opened the menu first to read the instructions _out loud_. "Quickly tap the enemy spaceships three times to damage them. Try not to get hit by attacks while doing so."  
Nick checked for more instructions but there was none. "Hmm... that sounds useful enough for _someone's situation_ right now." The fox glanced at Iacedrom, whose head he noticed was slightly tilted to his direction, which meant he probably got his attention.

Nick continued muttering, as if talking to himself, then made up some further instructions, deciding to help his companion after all.  
"Need tips, hints or cheats to beat the enemies? Turn to the next page, space traveller."  
Iacedrom seemed to be on a defensive flight position but he did not look weak enough for Fangmeyer to decide to put his eyes on another prey, which could what become of Nick.  
Although looking laidback, the fox was intent to keep that from happening.

"Hmm. The boss has two weaknesses. One behind the ears. The other is on the tummy."  
Fortunately, Iacedrom was not inclined to doubt any word he said. He actually seemed more open to his "advice". Plus, he wouldn't be interested enough to know how Nick knew the tiger's actual weaknesses around his body.  
"The boss, however, has powerful..." Nick paused to think of a terrifying weapon, relying on his memory of the movies the other officers had suggested him to watch. "UV ray laser beams from its hands, and a... poisonous poison in its sharp fangs. Ow."  
The fox accidentally bit his tongue, much to his discomfort. "A set of teeth packs a punch," he continued anyway as if his exclamation of pain was for emphasis. "A perfect defense mechanism could be a hard shell or some rough scales. _Feathers_ should not be used defensively but they can be used for trickery."

Admittedly, Nick's mind was starting to catch up with the available set of words for the made up instructions. He decided to get on with the finishing stuff.  
"Most players have excess feathers for weather adaptations. As such, in dangerous confrontations, shedding..." Nick frowned. That didn't seem to be the appropriate word. "Feathers can trigger ticklish or allergic reactions for the boss. Tolerance skill level should be high enough to endure possible embarrassment from feather loss and-"

His previous words seemed enough already for Iacedrom to have a tangible plan of defeating his enemy. Just as he was actually about to start playing, the tiger had already retreated.  
Nick only had enough time to notice bird feathers all around Fangmeyer's face, blinded and with the eyes probably reacting terribly.  
Nick had to admit it was a well-thought offense, although the officer was still under the effects of the Night Howler. Iacedrom proved himself useful anyway.

"You've had enough of your fun, fox!" The large jay turned to him with a _very irritated_ expression.  
"And your previous statements collectively qualify as a _speech_!"

"Wait, what?!" Nick rose up swiftly and ran for his life.  
What were allied talons moments ago were back to hunt him to death again. "You can't be serious." Iacedrom abandoned his power of speech for a series of terrifying caws and flew for the red fox.

Nick was about to go for the place Bellwether was most probably in, when he thought an additional monster would probably not work for their side.  
He quickly maneuvered himself around the angered jay and went for the exit with a bit of regret.  
"Uh, I never got to play the space game."

_xMordecai IV_

"Aaaaaaaaa-"  
With gravity overwhelming most of his senses, Mordecai could only scream.  
"-aaaaaaaaa-"  
His mouth was quickly becoming dry with the prolonged exposure to the air.  
"-aaaaaaaaahhh!"  
The fall ended up longer than what his breath could give.

It was a much longer fall than what he was expecting.  
"..."

Mordecai changed from a skydiver's stance to another.  
He tried lying sideways, with a hand on his face.  
Then he swam as if he was on a pool.  
He also tried standing up in air. "Woah, this is so cool!"

Gravity seemed to no longer have its hold on him but Mordecai looked down just to be sure.  
Before he could actually look down, his feet met land, which exploded comically upon impact.  
Clouds of dust spread across the area and the blue jay stood up, coughing to clear them away.  
"Uh. Not cool." He immediately looked around to make out his location. "Where am-"  
He noticed a familiar mob, which instantly got rowdy once its people set their eyes on him.

"You!"  
"You guys!"  
Mordecai looked upwards, just in time to see the hole he had come from the clouds fading away. Accurate representations of animals and characters circled themselves around him. The jay gave his attention to the co-leader, who was the terrifying copy of Rigby's image.  
"So you have come back to us, Mordecai," Ygbir stated, obviously not pleased. "Your kind is not allowed here! I thought we made it clear?"  
"No!" Mordecai hastily replied. "I'm not here because I want to! I was-" He tried to recall some past events. "-uhhh. I intercepted a bullet, which was probably poisoned, and I was brought here!"

His statement was ignored by the co-leader, who pointed an accusing finger at him.  
"Last time you and your friend were here, you encouraged a recruit to make a _speech_!"  
"Recruit?! Pops belongs to our world!" Mordecai pointed out defensively. "Besides, we had to do it or else we would be fired by Benson!"  
"Abstract lies you got there! Your kind must be eliminated!" Ygbir bared his unnaturally sharp teeth and charged for Mordecai.  
"Aaah!"

"KEEP SAYING SPEECHES!"

"Huh?" Mordecai looked up.  
There seemed to be echoes of a familiar voice coming from the clouds. "Rigby, is that you?!" "Mordecai!" The heavenly voice of hope screamed.  
"Rigby, I'm here!"  
"You are not escaping!" Mordecai started running again, almost getting hit by ferocious nails.  
"Rigby!" Mordecai placed his hands around his mouth to amplify his voice. "Pull down something! A rope or whatever!"

Just then, a magical hole presented itself among the clouds. Then it started raining bullets.  
"Wha- Rigby! What is this?!"  
"Mordecai, if you can hear me, just go find a cover!"  
"Hit the creature's head!"  
The blue jay frowned. "Wait, is that Margaret's voice?"  
He had no more time to wonder as a volley of bullets fell down to his location.

Mordecai had to things to run from, a volley of bullets and a relentless raccoon.  
He only just realized the other one was not present. "Hey, where's your buddy, Rigby lookalike?"  
"It's _your kind_ that took him to _your world_! Give him back!"  
"Huh?! I got no business here!" Mordecai evaded a few shots, while noticing that the assailant was receiving a few and was noticeably slowing down.  
"I'm the victim here!"  
"Where's..." the raccoon drawled. "Iacedrom?!"

"Mordecai!" Margaret's voice soothed across the area once again. "Rigby says you may not trust him so I'm here to speak for him. Get yourself shot by the next round of bullets!"  
"What?!"  
"You probably just said _'What?!'_ and thinking whether you heard me right!" The voice paused to breathe. "Yes, you did! It's your only way out! Trust me!"  
"Woah." Mordecai blinked in astonishment. "Margaret's amazing."

"Here comes!" simultaneously said his friend and the angry raccoon behind him.  
"Aaahhh!" Another stream of bullets appeared from the heavenly hole in the sky.  
Mordecai ran for the possible landing areas, while avoiding the danger of the Dizzy World's raccoon.

His body missed a few shots before he settled on a favorable position.  
With the shadow of a bullet looming over him, he closed his eyes and braced for possible pain.  
Only the pain never came and he heard a cry from the crazed raccoon.  
The animal had jumped above him, aiming to gnaw his head off, but ended up getting hit by the bullet.  
The enemy instantly lost consciousness, but Mordecai felt helpless. "Wait! That was my way out!"

Mordecai looked up in desperation.  
"Rigby, fire another shot!"  
Yet he was just ignored by the heavenly voices from the clouds again, as they started their own problematic conversation. "Is it working? Is it working?!" Rigby asked, holding on to hope.  
"It's not working," Margaret worried over.  
"We're out of bullets, friend."  
The blue jay recognized Officer Wilde's voice. "Iacedrom's gonna recover soon!"  
"Iacedrom?!" He glanced at the now unconscious Ygbir. "So what he was saying was true, after all. Wait..."

Before Mordecai got any more sympathy, he approached the raccoon and started strangling him.  
"Give me back that shot! Move, you silly speech madman!"  
The body's head only wobbled side by side and looked as if it was beginning to be horribly stretchable. "Ah, let me out of here!"  
Mordecai took out a few shots stuck around the animal's back and struck himself as strong as he could, as many times as his body parts would allow.  
He seemed to be feeling much more desperate the longer he stayed inside the Dizzy world... and also _suffocated_.

"Work! Work! Work!"  
One part of his head was telling him the virus was probably _working_ him up. The others urged him to continue striking himself with dead bullets.  
Maybe he was going mad, after all.  
Just what was in that bullet?  
The unconscious body gave him no answers.

_xJudy V_

"Bellwether probably only has three rams with her. Two had engaged with the other officers. The ex-mayor is with the remaining one," Judy elaborated.  
Wolford raised a paw. "What about her associates outside?"  
"Weaselton is out in the park. I don't think he has a lot of contacts."  
"So you are guys are being held off by four to five animals?" Eileen asked before quickly adding, "No offense meant."  
"Well, you're right," the bunny spoke up for her comrades. "Truth be told, Nick and I were the first to act upon the situation and we didn't really want to trouble the force on a possible loose case."

Eileen hummed in acknowledgment. "So how did you start the case?"  
"Just chasing some suspicious ends. You see, Nick knows everybody in town..." Judy rolled her eyes as if she had heard it said a lot of times. "...and he thought Weaselton had some questionable transactions ongoing."  
"This Weaselton has been in a criminal case before?"  
"Yes, but he's released shortly after for just a minimal crime." The bunny sighed, remembering her history with the weasel. "So we had him cornered fast, and we got him to spill _some_ beans. Nick went for the _other side_ Weaselton had told us about and we ended up discovering our ex-mayor was onto something precarious again." Judy's eyes brightened in recollection. "That's when I met Mordecai."

"So based on your story..." Eileen adjusted her round glasses. "Why'd you have to do a grandscale maneuver for the whole department though?"  
"Oh, that's..." Judy blinked, a little lost in tracking back their progress. "Nick had some trouble with Bellwether. He had to wager on an unexpected course of action... I guess?"  
The mole showed no signs of an expressive reaction. "Fair enough. We outnumber them by one."  
One wolf frowned. "Two?"  
Eileen shook her head. "Not me. I'm a thinker, not a fighter."  
"Alright," the squad leader spoke up. "Now that we're here, we can actually do Howl A2."

Judy shook her head with a smile. "Nuh uh. That's for setting up ourselves against an open enemy. I had a 4-in-2 in mind when I called for that. The composition now is kind of risky."  
I can be your element of surprise," Eileen offered with a calm face. "I mean, she wouldn't expect a miniscule and insignificant creature like me to come her way."  
"We can't do that," Judy rejected. "You're a citizen of another world. You can't be mixed up with our issues!"  
"Not when it's a way to save Rigby," Eileen defended then blinked once. "And the others, of course."  
"Still…" Judy's raised her ears to listen to the sirens outside. "I don't think the police can help us. It might be up to Nick."

Eileen glanced at the others with a thoughtful expression. "You guys are really open to this Nick guy. Why don't we call for him?"  
Judy chuckled uncertainly. "He's not really available. And I have reason to believe Bellwether could probably threaten him or someone else with Night Howlers."  
"Would the serum work for me?"

"Of course. Whether you're predator or prey-"  
"I mean, we came from _another world_ ," Eileen emphasized. "Wouldn't we have some special defense mechanisms in our bodies or something, like an effect of the ozone layer destruction in our area?"  
The bunny's eyes narrowed. "That doesn't sound safe."  
The mole shrugged. "We get closer meteor showers. They make a good date zone."

_xRigby V_

The red fox smiled at his partner in crime.  
"Finnick, where'd you place the wolf coat?" The fennec stood as tall as he remained proud. "I left it back in the forest."  
"Great." Nick gave a disappointed hum. "What a waste of material."  
"That's what I said, too!" Rigby added.  
"Come on, we can still think of other options!" Margaret encouraged, waving her hands.  
"We tried to overdose this Mordecai with the bullet." Finnick rolled his eyes. "But it didn't work."  
"Or maybe your aim was far off!" Rigby shouted unhelpfully.  
"It still entered the body! Yer friend was just dodging 'em!"

"Simmer down. Simmer down," Nick said as he kept the two from fighting altogether, pressing his paws against their heads.  
He turned to Rigby first. "Do not aggravate the short one." He pointed a finger at the fennec. "Act your age a bit, Finnick."  
"Aren't police supposed to have unlimited ammo?!" Rigby asked in frustration.  
"Where'd you get that stupid idea?" Finnick scowled.

"Simmer-" Margaret frowned over them. "Can the two of you settle down?"  
"No, we can't," deadpanned Rigby.  
"This guy just irks me!" stated Finnick.

"Okay. We can't do anything about them." Nick placed two paws on the black jay's shoulders and turned her around. "Ooh. I just touched you." The fox chuckled. "I thought I was going to do something I'd regret."  
Still, Margaret glanced at the other two then looked back at him. "What do you have in mind, captain?"

"I'll be the captain here," Rigby asserted while adjusting imaginary sunglasses. "You dudes don't know how to make a proper approach."  
"Ehh..." Finnick drawled, unamused, and then reiterated, "We tried shooting the ice drone and _nothing_ happened, remember?"  
"The bullets entered though," Nick stated, just to infuriate his fellow fox. "That means _supernatural stuff_..." His eyes widened jokingly as he spread his arms to form a rainbow, and then whispered, "Is possible!"  
He gave a wink at the creatures of another world. " _They_ would have _proper_ ideas on how to handle this."

"Right." Margaret narrowed her eyes with a grimace. "But Mordecai is not a plaything. Or at least, his body."  
Nick raised his hands defensively. "No offense, my lady."  
"Some taken."  
The fox made a false pained expression. "Ooh. Pardon me."

The black jay glanced at the tied up and unconscious body, where Rigby seemed to be rummaging around. "Uh, what are you doing?"  
"I saw something that can be of use," Rigby claimed as he touched Mordecai's various body parts.  
Finnick gave a disapproving grunt.  
"Oh wait." Nick frowned. "Are you looking for the-"

"Tazer!" Rigby raised the object triumphantly and pressed the trigger. The weapon shone with strong concentrations of light and electricity, much too powerful for his arm strength.  
"Aahhh!" His hands dropped the weapon, which landed with a loud thud. The charge instantly faded. "Oh no," Nick said. "You didn't just break it."  
"Ah!" Rigby jumped to the poor material and carried it gingerly. "I was gonna try it on Mordecai to wake him up!"  
He carefully tried pressing the trigger again, but there were no more signs of possible activation.

"Oh, great," Finnick grumbled.  
"Okay, calm down," Nick spoke with a voice of authority. "Let's have a _proper approach_ for this case." Rigby openly expressed his displeasure for the poor imitation.  
"Anyway, any _specific_ reason why Mordecai's body is the way it is now?" He looked at the non-Zootopian citizens.  
Margaret shook her head. "I wasn't there when the Dizzy World stuff happened. Mordecai would talk about it sometimes though."  
"Dizzy World?" Nick asked. "I assume that's where the bullets magically disappear to."

Rigby proudly huffed out loud. "I'm the only Dizzy World survivor here."  
He casually glanced at his friend. "Mordecai might be getting attacked by monsters now though."  
"So... _specific_ reasons?" Nick reminded patiently.  
"You enter the Dizzy World when you get too dizzy." Everyone else gave him a blank reaction. "Like spinning around a lot!"  
"Aaaand the bullets?" Margaret asked slowly.  
"I don't know." Rigby shrugged. "I just made use of the available stuff."  
"So it's probably too dizzy animals or too fast objects that get to... _enter_ ," Nick said decisively, before adding, "...unconscious bodies?"  
Rigby nodded, as if proud of their improving mental capacities.  
"Why don't you enter and save him then?" Finnick pointed out.  
"We need a rope or something. It's a high place down there."  
"Uhh... guys?"

Heads turned to Margaret who seemed to have noticed something. "Iacedrom's moving."  
The body's bloodshot eyes opened once again and it matched a totally displeased expression.  
"Run!" Nick carried the fennec and raccoon.  
Rigby struggled for a while. "Hey, I can run myself!"  
Margaret screamed and went for the police building. The red fox followed her.

"Which way shou-"  
"Continue upstairs!" Nick assured her. "I'll tell you the way."

Run, they did.  
Iacedrom only cawed after them, seemingly looking more monstrous.  
Rigby tried to delay the monster by drawing fur from Nick's back and then throwing it at its face, but he was firmly stopped with a look of disbelief from the fox.  
"Tell me what you would feel if I did the same for your fur."

"Uhh, Nick?" muttered Margaret as she looked at the numerous office doors around them.  
"Why are all the lights turned off?" Rigby wondered out loud.  
"The biggest one! It's the mayor's office."  
Even Finnick turned his head in skepticism. "What do we have there?"  
"Does your mayor hide weapons inside his drawers?" Rigby asked hopefully.  
Margaret did not bother to ask and just proceeded to the room, opening it with one strong push. "Aaaahhh!" a collective scream came from inside.

Only aware of the imminent danger behind them, the others followed suit and dived after her, automatically ducking in place and Rigby closing the door.

"What the heck?!"  
"Oh, hi guys."  
"Sweet cheese and crackers, Nick!"

Nick's ears immediately rose in attention upon recognizing the voice. "Oh, hey Carrots."  
He didn't know where to put his focus on. "This is..."  
"What is that?!" a wolf officer asked as he pointed a shaky finger at the dark jay.  
Margaret laughed lightly. "Don't worry. I won't eat yo-"  
A series of bangs in the door added to the rowdy noise.  
Rigby jumped in surprise and ran for the nearest defense, which happened to be a familiar face.  
"Rigby!"  
"Wha- Eileen, you're here!"  
Meanwhile, Finnick was still not freed from the red fox's grasp. "Put me down, Nick!"  
"Okay. Okay. No more kicking."

A bunny officer hopped swiftly before Nick and started speaking rapidly, "Nick, are you fine?! Bellwether didn't do anything bad to you? Swinton and Delgato are down. She's probably going to come here anytime soon. She's got Doug with her and-"  
"We're going to be fine, Carrots," Nick said after putting a silencing finger on her lips, looking amused.  
"I got thi-"

The door was smashed open and a wild Iacedrom entered with sharp teeth, ready to attack.  
"Aaahhh!" a single chorus of a cry echoed.  
"What happened to Mordecai?!" Judy and Eileen asked at the same time.  
"Night Howler!" Nick answered while Rigby said, "Dizzy World!"  
As the transformed jay gave a threatening squawk, a rough rhythm of footsteps could be heard from outside. "This time, I got you now, bunny."  
"It's Bellwether!" cried Judy.  
"Bunny, we already got a bad bird right before us!" Rigby hid behind Eileen.

"What the-" a ram spoke, stopping before the deformed blue jay's back.  
"Fire at whatever that is!" a female voice ordered and the sound of gunshots followed.  
Margaret gasped. "No! Don-"  
Nick quickly covered her mouth with a paw. "Shh! Shh! Let Bellwether trigger the bird."  
Rigby nodded and whispered, "Mordecai won't know."  
The other officers had nothing left to suggest and just shook their heads nervously.

The large bird, rather than slowing down due to inflicted pain, grew more aggravated and turned the path of his rampage around.  
"Can he beat Bellwether in that state?" Judy asked hopefully.  
"We tried bullets and it didn't stay down for long," Nick said. "And we're out of it."  
"Even if it beats Bellwether, we still have to get that bird down!" Finnick pointed out.  
"Rigby," Eileen spoke up. "I thought you guys already got out of the Dizzy World a few times?  
"We had Skips to get us out!"

"Nick, call the Chief!" Judy jumped, trying to hold her pumped up energy. "You're already free from Bellwether!"  
"Oh, that's right."  
Rigby threw the phone Nick was about to get at the crazed bird's behind. It landed as broken remains. "What?!"  
"I thought I could help damage the monster," Rigby said casually.  
"How about you guys?" Nick addressed the others.  
"Portal ate the connection," Judy enlightened him. "We tried. What happened out there?"

Before Nick could answer, Iacedrom turned around, with two fluffy animals hanging on its beak.  
"What have you done, Officer Wilde?!" the smaller sheep spoke angrily, while still struggling.  
"What did _you_ put in that serum?!" Nick pointed with incredulity.  
"Get me down!" the ram named Doug cried.  
Before any further conversation was made, Iacedrom was pushed forward by a new enemy.  
Behind him were the two rams that caught up from the infiltration.  
"Ah-"  
"What are you?!"

Iacedrom only pushed them away with a simple flick of his talons, whacking them out cold.  
"We're done for!" Rigby cried helplessly.  
Eileen turned to her previous co-worker. "Margaret, can't you trigger his normal self back?"  
"How?! Words don't make any difference!"  
"But memories can!"

Margaret blinked a few times, before processing it with a nod.  
"Mordecai!" She began. "Remember when I had you wear those diapers?!"  
Rigby quickly followed up. "Remember when we got high off my Rig Juice?!"  
The monster seemed to be taking imaginary punches as it froze from time to time.  
"It's working?!" Judy asked, unable to refrain a bit of excitement.  
Nick smirked. "How about you let ice drone knock Bellwether and the other guy unconscious first?"  
"You-!" As if on cue, the bird started thrashing and threw his captives on the other side of the room, knocking the air out of their lungs.

"You almost _blonded_ me to death!"  
"We ate at the Amadeus and those cyborgs suddenly came from nowhere!"  
"Muscleman's nightmares and those Huggstables!"  
"The Mordeshake Rigby overdosed in!"  
"Summetime lovin'!"  
"Dad's Chopper 6!"  
"That time when you forced yourself to go to numerous blind dates!"  
The last statement made Margaret frown. "What?"

As the stream of memories continued going out of their mouths, actual images of the recollection streamed to the big bird's body and seemed to be forming a rope of the past.  
"Mordecai!" Rigby shouted. "Grab on to your memories!"  
Amidst the ongoing mess, the remaining Zootopian citizens only stared.  
"Uh, I still don't have an idea on what's happening," the wolf leader spoke.  
"Meh, who cares," Finnick grunted.

_xLOUDER THAN A TIMER  
xMordecai V_

"Mordecai, are you awake?"  
The blue jay groaned as he found it hard to open his eyes. "Margaret?"  
"Nah." A laugh came from a familiar bunny's voice. "Great, it's about time."  
Mordecai finally sat up with a pained expression. "I have no idea what happened after..."  
He pressed his head with his hands and tried to recollect stuff. "After Nick got the taser."  
"Oh." Judy smiled to assure him. "Everything's fine. We got Bellwether back in prison, a _much more_ protected one. We just found out a portal was the thing that got her out. Huh. Crazy things."  
She gave a little chuckle. "And Iacedrom's back in the Dizzy World."  
"Uh, you see," Mordecai stammered, slowly putting things in point. "When I was in the other world, I thought I could hear my friends' voices." The blue jay grimaced, trying not to put up more embarrassing stuff. "I mean, I even held on to my memories…? What if I just had hallucinations from the bullet I intercepted?"  
"Oh silly, you mean Margaret and Rigby?"

Just then, the door opened to welcome a familiar set of faces.  
"Is Mordecai still unconscious?" Eileen asked, which Rigby immediately answered with a grumble, "Aw man, surprising him while waking up would have been better!"  
"Guys!" Mordecai gave a small smile.  
Judy looked at Nick and gave a question. "Where's Finnick?"  
The red fox raised an eyebrow, while leaning on the clinic bed. "You know he's not a party animal."

Mordecai frowned as he looked at the figures inside. "Where's Margaret?"  
"Hmm. I asked her to bring the Jumbo Pop."  
The blue jay narrowed his eyes with an amused expression. "This better not be a _surprise party_ or something."  
Rigby matched his expression. "No, it isn't."  
A seemingly hollow body figure entered the room, and gave an empty space of a smile.  
Mordecai jumped far down his bed in shock. "Huh, what is that?!"  
Everyone else suddenly dropped to the ground, seemingly unconscious.

"Aaaaah!"  
"Mordecai, guess who...?"  
Despite all of his senses telling him to scream or faint, the blue jay was actually able to recognize the voice, which added more to his astonishment. "Is that Margaret?!"  
The ghost of her figure only gave a dark laugh and seemed to stare at his very soul. "Wake up, Mordecai. Stop dreaming nice things."  
"Eh he-"  
Mordecai looked around sharply, hearing the different pitched voice. "Oh my gosh. I just might be hallucinating, everything."

The black jay seemed to shake its head, pointed below him.  
Before Mordecai could wonder anymore, Judy's unstoppable laugh finally echoed across the room.  
Nick approached her to give an amused shake of his head.  
Everyone else stood back up with energized faces, with Rigby giving the monstrous creature a fast clap.  
"You got him right, Margaret!"  
"Spot on!" The figure laughed alike to how the Margaret he knew always did it.

"Wow, what a prank..." Mordecai leaned back to his bed and touched his forehead, then looked back after a blink. "So, _what_ is up with Margaret?"  
"Nobody really knows," said the female jay as she glanced at her darkened wings. "But don't I look awesome?!"  
Mordecai gave an approving chuckle. "Yeah. You look like a monster."  
After a blink, he quickly added, "A badass monster."  
"Oh, silly."  
"And so Mordecai." Rigby jumped in the bed with obvious excitement, speaking in a singsong manner. "Eileen's got money. And she's gonna treat us!"  
Margret shrugged as she put a hand inside her body. "I can feel my wallet too. But I can't take it out. It's all on Eileen."

"Aha!" Rigby pointed a challenging finger at his best friend, beginning a rap.  
"Jumbo Pop's gonna be delicious!"  
The blue jay easily followed, with a snap of the finger. "This moment is gonna be precious!"  
"The coldness will make us look down in our shoes!"  
"But if we succeed, we won't be needing those tissues! Yea-yeah!"  
Eileen and Margaret clapped proudly, jiggling their bodies a little.  
"Woooooooooohhh!"

The two Zootopians chuckled, with Judy saying, "Sweet! So you guys do this often?"  
Rigby was about to speak then he brightened up. "Check this out, too!"  
He proceeded tapping numerous parts of his body in quick successions using just his hands.  
"It's called hamboning!" He continued for a few more seconds, adding some grunts for a pleasing tune.  
Then he turned around to his friends, bowing. "And that's how you please a lady."  
Mordecai booed.  
Judy laughed, quite pleased with the show.  
Nick only smirked, as if he also had some good stuff in his sleeves.

"You guys, this day is going to be great!" The bunny clapped eagerly. "Who's up for some _real_ Jumbo Pop?"  
"Me!" Rigby scurried over to her side.  
"Am I safe to get out of bed now?" Mordecai asked.  
Rigby gave him a rough pat. "Dude, you've been sleeping for days."  
The bedsheet flew in the air as Mordecai stood up in shock. "Four days?! For _days_?! For-"  
The blue jay gawked.  
"Nah. It's just half an hour." The raccoon raised his eyebrows. "Well, you're all set and _definitely_ fine."  
Mordecai pressed his head back on the pillow again, and then breathed deeply.  
"Stop giving me the shocks."  
"You should see Finnick," Rigby said casually. "You'd be _shocked_ at his size, considering he's a fox."

"Oh, Rigby. You've taken a liking to him, eh?" Judy chuckled. "I'm sure he does the same to you."  
Nick rolled his eyes. "Stuff to never admit." The fox took out a blue lollipop from a pocket.  
"What flavor is that?" Eileen asked.  
"Hmm?" Nick raised an eyebrow. "It's blueberry."  
Judy playfully nudged her and whispered, "It's a family special. And it's his favorite taste."  
"Are you two-"  
"Shh!" Rigby jumped over Eileen with a firm disapproving look in his face.  
They then got out of the room, leaving only two birds inside.

"It's getting kinda rowdy again," Margaret started as a conversation. "I hope the bunny and the fox don't mind."  
"Just call them by their names," Mordecai assured her. "They're pretty chill people. And I did get to talk a lot with Judy hours ago."  
"Okay, I will." The female jay put an assisting pair of hands around Mordecai's back. "We can't have you here when we'll probably taste something for the first and last time."  
"Yea-yeah!"

"You two, are you coming?" Eileen called from outside the room.  
"Yeah, of course!" Margaret testified.  
"Uhh..." Mordecai muttered. "Margaret, are you sure you're fine? Nothing jiggly or weird feelings?"  
"Funny." The darker jay laughed. "Rigby asked the same thing."

_X_

The whole of their company easily managed to fit in three sets of chairs and one table; Margaret and Eileen, Mordecai and Rigby, Nick and Judy with the returning presence of Finnick.  
"I ain't got time for fools," Finnick grunted as he took the space between Nick and Judy.  
"None of that lovey-dovey here. But a _Jumbo Pop_ treat isn't something easy to pass by."  
"Oh, baby." Rigby challenged teasingly. "You just want your sweet little loving, don't you?"

"Uhhh..." The fennec scowled at him. "You're right, I do."  
"But. But..." Rigby stammered, not expecting that kind of reaction. "You're supposed to argue with me!"  
Nick placed a gentle arm on the table. "First rule to beating the cool off other people. Do not play into their game."  
"Argh!" Rigby raised two hands as if he had just been defeated in an intense VHS game. "The challenge in this world is too great!"  
Judy laughed pleasingly. "Finnick's not one to follow Nick's advice." She patted the head of the former, who gave her a disapproving grumble. "But you're talking about challenges here! You haven't seen the _Jumbo Pop_ yet!"

Margaret chuckled. "Is it safe for the body?"  
"Oh yeah." Eileen followed. "Mordecai and Rigby's bodies tend to overreact upon food consumption."  
"Don't worry," Judy said, flicking her fingers as if she had a ballpen. "I'm _very sure_ this cafe passes the cleanliness order."  
"Overreact?" Nick responded cheerfully. "Like that portal stuff?"  
The mole adjusted her glasses. "Yeah. Like that time Rigby's soul left his body because he ate too much junk food."  
"How'd you know that?" Rigby blinked. "And I thought you meant Mordecai's unpleasantries."  
The blue jay gave him a rough punch. "Those _unpleasantries_ , you mean like your dirty part of the room."  
"Oh, come on!" Rigby muttered in frustration. "We're here to celebrate and eat, not to point fingers!"  
Everyone else laughed, with Finnick emanating as the strongest. "Everyone just witnessed your ridiculousness, you jerk!"  
"Hey!"

Mordecai maintained an open diplomatic representation of the group. "Look, I don't know how things happen in your world but I hope we're not weirding you guys out."  
Nick's smirk seemed to deepened as he listened to Judy speak for her company. "Oh, it's fine. It's a totally _fine_ way of relaxation." The bunny laughed, overshadowing the frown Finnick was holding.  
"No restrictions. Just _zany_ and cool stuff."  
"Speaking of _cool_ stuff," Nick took over. "We didn't really order _the_ Jumbo Pop. Rather difficult for a competition inside the restaurant."  
As if it was the only important thing left in his mind, Rigby rapidly turned to him with a gasp. "What?!"  
"Calm down, you f-" Nick firmly pressed a paw over Finnick's face.  
" _Instead_ , we got the bigger ice cream serving on those cups, which is more than the normal size for _elephants_." He glanced over at Judy. "My added treat. Carrots here is enjoying your company."

Rigby raised his finger as if he was about to say something then lowered it, leaving his mouth slightly open.  
Eileen kept watch over Rigby while nudging her seatmate, who took her cue.  
"And you guys really take it alone for competition?" Margaret asked, encouraging conversation.  
Nick raised an eyebrow, as if it was the first time he actually took note of the black jay as a female.  
"Normally, Bug Burga's is enough for us smaller preds."

Rigby raised his finger one more time, but was yet unable to articulate a question.  
"What's in Bug Burga? I... don't want to imagine," Mordecai admitted.  
"Protein," was the harmless answer of Judy. "We don't really eat each other, if that's what you think."  
"Really?" Eileen's face visibly lightened up in interest. "How does the ecosystem work here then?"  
"We got more than four districts in _one_ Zootopia," Nick babbled on with cheer, which Finnick did not seem to appreciate. "It's _really_ a world where anyone can be anything."  
Judy chuckled. "Oh, come on."

Rigby blinked, seemingly incapable to either drop his finger or close his mouth.  
"So..." Eileen started rapid firing words. "Do the preds need to take large amounts of protein to make up for the high energy requirement in their trophic level?"  
"Trophic levels," Nick repeated, as if amused by the very phrase. "Why, yes. Even Finnick here can surprisingly take lots of food."  
"All this food talk is making me hungry." Margaret laughed. "We're just having ice cream though."  
"I have a surprise!" Judy mentioned in excitement. "Oh, wait. It is a surprise."

Rigby managed to mutter an incomprehensible set of words.  
Mordecai finally noticed his friend acting up, and whispered, "Dude, is something wrong?"  
Rigby spoke lowly through gritted teeth, "Dude." The finger was finally lifted away.  
"Dude, if it's Eileen talking about intellectual stuff again, just-"  
"Don't you think Judy's cute and fluffy?!" Rigby whispered, his voice becoming harsh and face looking restless.  
"What?!" The blue jay looked around to check if he got their attention. The conversation was uninterrupted. "Dude, you got Eileen already. You're not supposed to mix things up."  
"Urgghhh!" A few nerves popped out around the raccoon's temple. "She's a bunny coooop."  
"And what?" His best friend uttered, with a look of disbelief. "You managed to show her your hamboning and she liked it! You're acting all shy now?"  
The raccoon gritted his teeth in a jittery manner. "It's not too late for attraction at first sight!"  
Mordecai rolled his eyes, accidentally setting his eyes on an approaching waiter the size of an elephant. It was an actual elephant, rather. "Oh my gosh. Is that our ice cream?"

Nick's smirk turned into a grin. _That_ made Mordecai uncomfortable.  
He realized the smirk usually plastered on the fox's face seemed to be rather an inhibitor of another personality. "Yes, ice cream."  
Judy clapped in further glee. "Finally!"  
"About time," Finnick muttered sourly.  
"How many do we have in our order?" Margaret worried over.  
"I must be dreaming," Rigby whispered.  
Eileen hummed in wonder. "How do they keep the supplies for such large servings over the day?"

"Now, now." Nick raised two hands, looking at ease. "I know you guys are first timers here-"  
The waiter dropped the bowl on the table.  
" _Your._ _Order_ ," was the grumpy statement. The trunk that handed over the serving seemed to shake as its upper pair of eyes set their sights on the black swirling matter of a jay on the table.  
The elephant immediately left.

"Thank you, sir. As you guys can see," Nick continued as if nothing rude happened. "It's flavored _the red one_ , Finnick's preference. If you guys are still up for the competition, I would advise you against it."  
"Uhh... we're still doing the contest?" Mordecai asked as he glanced over the ice cream then at the worried side of his friends. "We-"  
"Yes, of course!" Rigby finally spoke out loud... facing sideways.  
"Rigby?" Eileen and Margaret simultaneously said.  
"I- I'm just..." stammered the raccoon. "I get _insanely_ uncomfortable looking at Margaret like that elephant waiter did just now."  
Mordecai frowned. "Right."  
Margaret just brushed it off with a chuckle, before Eileen leaned closer to whisper something to her.

"I know what you're thinking," Finnick stated seriously as he placed a small paw on the table.  
Rigby gulped down an unpleasant taste. Mordecai readied himself to stop a possible heated argument.  
The fennec wore a pair of shades. "You think you can beat me in my grounds?"  
The blue jay realized he was already holding his breath, when Rigby spoke, "This guy's stupid." and not even bothering to lower his voice.  
"I'll bite your face off!"  
"I'll call the police!" Rigby threated with narrowed eyes. "Oh wait, _two_ officers are here!"  
Mordecai held his friend still on his seat. "Woah there. No need to get rabbit. Hehe. _Rabid._ "

Margaret only seemed amused while Eileen measured the ice cream through imaginary dimensions, who then asked, "How are we going to cut it?"  
In all seriousness, Finnick pulled out a pocket knife and swung it around a few times.  
"Uhh..." Margaret drawled.  
Finnick grunted as he glanced at the swirling matter. "Not me. Nick's going to."  
"Say," Judy said as her partner started slicing the ice cream expertly. "What would happen if you ingest food in your current state?"  
The black jay blinked. "I don't know..."  
"Isn't the ice cream going to melt soon?" Rigby mentioned.  
"Rigby!" Mordecai reprimanded.  
"What, I'm just trying to save ice cream and money."  
"Surprise #2. It's ice cream cake!" Judy chuckled. "I don't know why I feel so excited. Sorry."  
"Oh, no harm done." Mordecai assured her. "It's fun having such welcoming people."

"Ice cream _and_ cake?!" Rigby muttered, with his head focusing way below the table. "What a fine dessert!"  
"Uhh, dude, the cake's on your right."  
"Oops." Rigby turned his head to said direction, only to face a confused bunny's face. "Aaah!"  
"Is everything fine?" Judy asked, looking uncertain.  
"Yes!" Rigby said hastily. "I did say you're as fine as the ice cream cake!"  
"Uhhh." Mordecai slapped his friend in the cheek two times, one for each side.  
"He meant to say, yeah. Nothing's wrong."  
"Oh, if you say so."

"There. All _nice_ and done!" Nick raised his two paws, presenting a rather complex formation for the cake's slices.  
"Uhhh... what is that?" Rigby pointed.  
Nick raised two eyebrows playfully. "It's a cake special for you guys!"  
The cake was carefully sliced into what seemed to be crop terraces from a farmland... or some strips of jerky.  
"Actually, while you guys were talking like you were in another world," Eileen said. "We were slicing the cake."  
"You too?" Mordecai asked. "But you don't have a knife."  
"Share."  
"But that only happened for less than ten seconds!" Rigby hurriedly recalled the most recent moments. "Or maybe it was twelve."  
"Twelve," Nick informed. "I slice cakes under a timer."  
"Why would you even have that?" The blue jay asked.  
"It makes me feel better. 100% more. Fulfillment," Nick ranted. "Isn't it amazing?"  
Mordecai was still uncertain how to take Nick's demeanor. It felt so casual that there could as well be something off-putting with how he saw it, if that made any sense.  
"Hate to break it to you but Nick and fluff here," Finnick grunted like he memorized the words. "Will have their lunch breaks over by 2 o' clock."

The others instantly searched for a clock around the room.  
Judy gently pushed the fennec. "Come on. We still got an hour and a half."  
"So make it fast," Finnick ignored.  
Judy seemed to glance at Nick with a worried expression, but the red fox did not show any readable reaction.  
"Don't worry. We wouldn't want to trouble you much," Eileen said.  
"Maybe I'm the portal to home," Margaret told as a joke.  
Everyone took it as a decent one as they glanced at her body.

"So, who's going first?" Nick pointed gracefully at the ice cream cake. "Finnick can have two rounds by himself."  
"I hope we wouldn't have the brain freeze like what that Russian spy had," Rigby muttered.  
"His name is Thomas," Mordecai reminded.  
"We have four clean quadrants _of strips_ for the cake," Eileen said.  
Judy brightened up at the mention. "Oh, Nick can have one round then! Two for you, two for us! Nick eats in a _hilarious_ way." Nick wriggled his eyebrows in an amused verification.

"I'm going first." Rigby raised an imaginary shirt sleeve.  
The fennec lowered his shades to mock the raccoon. "You're going _down_ first."  
"This isn't exactly going to be neat," Margaret pointed out.  
"We have utensils of differing sizes." Eileen gestured at the assortment in their table.  
"Do animals really use utensils for ice cream?" Rigby asked. "Ew."  
Eileen gave him a dubious look. "We're all animals here."  
"Wait, you guys wouldn't go _savage_?" Mordecai said uncertainly, just making sure he meant no offense. "Preds and all."  
"Savage preds." Judy chuckled. "It's been a while since I heard that. Oh, and there's a new bunny in town called Jack Savage!"  
"No. Finnick's good with the _utensils_." Nick winked as if there was an inside joke.  
"Procedures," Finnick said in disdain. "I bite ice cream as if they're cowering preys!"  
"He means it as a pun," Judy guaranteed them.

_xMargaret I_

"Okay, okay." Margaret adjusted an imaginary camera set. "Ehem. We're live at the Jumbeaux's Cafe and we have an ongoing competition."  
"Oh! You're a legitimate news reporter?!" Judy said in awe.  
Nick chuckled. "Carrots is not good with news reporters. But she does like the idea of the profession."  
The black jay grinned promisingly - as much as what her hollow face could express - as she raised an invisible microphone at Mordecai. "Sir, how does it feel rooting for your friend?"  
"Friend?" The blue jay glanced at the surly fennec. "I'm rooting for _him_."  
"Ngaaa!" Rigby cried. "Traitor!"  
"How about you, Ma'am?" The reporter turned to Eileen, who answered, "Rigby's going to lose."  
"You guys aren't my friends anymore," Rigby stated bitterly.

Margaret turned to the police officers, putting Nick on the spot first.  
"Seeing as Finnick's a fox like you, how does it feel to have a _connection_?"  
"Oh, don't patronize us." Nick placed a gentle paw on his chest. "And I'm the tall one. He's the small one."  
"And you?" The hand was moved before Judy. "What do you say being an eager spectator?"  
"Eager?" The bunny cop traded looks between Nick and the dark face of the jay. "Am- do I look eager in, uhh... to seeing a competitor beat Finnick? Yes. Yes, I do."  
"Carrots, easy." Nick chuckled, prodding her gently. "This isn't a TV report where you'll be presented as a public image or something. Although you'll definitely look good as one. _Bunny cop-_ "  
"Ehehehe..." Judy interrupted with a rough enough thrust.

"Reporting live from Jumbeaux's," Margaret spoke back at the main camera, which happened to be in front of the customer line. "Things will surely get intense!"  
Finnick just grunted upon giving a glance at the camera set, in a rough attempt for camaraderie.  
Rigby gave the fiercest glare he could muster at his enemy, with drool dripping from the edge of his lower lip.

"3..." Nick began.  
Notably, a small crowd was beginning to form around them. There did not seem to be any confused expressions in the group, but rather expectant ones.  
"So you guys really do this all the time?" Mordecai inquired with amusement.  
"Eh..." Judy rolled her eyes. "There's not much to see after the first time around."  
"If Nick always losing to me doesn't count," Finnick added.  
Nick smirked in acknowledgment but only continued the count. "2...?"  
"Rigby, do you have any techniques in mind?" Eileen asked in hope. "Finnick is a veteran."  
"Oh, if _Little_ Finnick can make a _small_ difference," Rigby mocked with a challenging grin.

"1..."  
"The competition has started!" Margaret declared with finesse.  
Although some animals would get bothered upon setting their eyes on the reporter's dark figure, seeing the look of excessive confidence in the familiar faces of fellow citizens was enough to uplift a steaming spirit. "The ice cream is served!"

As much expertise as the reporter could exude, the two competitors under the spotlight gave a similar fierceness for their battle.  
It only made Mordecai glance at Nick with an uncertain expression, who only assured him with a wink.  
"They'll be done before the next one comes."  
"Next?"  
Judy was just constantly moving her ears in anticipation.  
Eileen offered a very expressive wave of aggressive cheers.  
Margaret proceeded to encourage a more engaged crowd by asking them random questions.

The first tumultuous reaction was found on Rigby's face, which seemed to have contorted to the dangers of a brain freeze. "Urghh..."  
"Rigby!" Mordecai cried while Eileen's cheers faltered.  
Judy laughed along with some animals from the crowd, as if it was a normal occurrence in an ice cream battle with Finnick.  
"Remember when Pronk accepted the challenge?"  
Just then, a large antelope who identified himself as one of the Oryx-Antlersons, moved through the crowd and addressed the losing side with a low but strong voice.  
"Yo, dude. You ain't got a chance against _that_ fox, not even _that_ one." He emphasized it by pointing a lengthy finger at the foxes in the company.  
"Oh, hi Bucky." Judy beamed. "Where's Pronk?"  
"Got him to line up for the ZMD. Who are these losers you're with?"

"Well, look at here. We got a former competitor," Margaret initiated. "Any advice for the nonveteran?"  
Bucky scowled at the ongoing competition, focusing on Rigby's shaky attempts on his utensil.  
"Yo, are you using the fork?!" Rigby did not appreciate the disturbance. With less than a half serving remaining for both sides of the bowl, the raccoon was desperately trying to catch up. Mordecai answered for him. "Of course, it needs to be the fork! You don't use spoon for a kind of _cake_!"  
Bucky gave him a sarcastic eye. "Look closer, newbie."

Mordecai frowned as he looked over Finnick's direction... then finally realized what was going on.  
"He's not using a spoon!" He prodded Rigby gently. "He's got a... _spork_."  
Rigby gave a muffled exclamation while Eileen spoke with skepticism, "That doesn't give any advantage."  
Bucky didn't look fazed by the dubious reactions. " _Stare_ at his darn scoops and tell me that again."

Nick wriggled his eyebrows as a tease while the others struggled to find the meaning within the statement. Judy tried to hide her laughter.  
There it was.  
Looking horribly contradictory to the fennec's head, the mere size of the ice cream collected by mentioned spork was indeed immense.  
Mordecai's eyes widened in shock. "But how does he eat that amount?!"  
Only then did he see what was happening in a regular basis behind the swiftly reducing chumps of ice cream.  
Finnick did not have any teeth bared, making him look rather adorable chowing down the cake.  
"That's why he isn't getting any signs of a brain freeze!" Eileen pointed out.  
"But they both still enter a mouth!" The blue jay answered.  
"No," the small genius continued. "He doesn't focus eating through his teeth. Those are where the nerves that transfer the feeling of intense coldness from the ice cream."

Mordecai turned to the antelope. "So the spork doesn't really give any advantage!"  
Bucky shrugged, admitting, "You guys dug too deep into this. I'm just here to give an eye on _that_ bunny."  
"Are you into her now?" The blue jay asked.  
"She's my neighbor, that's all," was the quick retort. "But _someone else_ is definitely into her."  
Mordecai glanced at his companions. "Is it-"  
"And we have a clear winner!" Margaret announced.

The antelope had gone back to the cheering crowd.  
Meanwhile, the black jay pointed the fictional microphone over the arrogant-looking fennec, who was licking around his lips to check for residues.  
"How does it feel to beat a sore loser to the ground?"  
Rigby whimpered weakly, still feeling an effect from the amount of ice cream he took.

Finnick answered with a big laugh. "I win again!"  
Judy offered a comforting look across the table. "Don't worry. Nick only did manage to beat him once."  
Mordecai blinked. "Even the larger creatures?"  
"Nah, that would be unfair. Maybe up to tigers only."

Before any more conversation happened, the large elephant waiter had returned with another bowl of ice cream cake serving and placed it over the previous one, giving a brief glance at the current acting reporter before going.  
"Mordecai..." Rigby breathed out, as if dying, and held on to his friend's arms. "Avenge me."  
The blue jay stared at his laidback opponent. "I don't have a chance. Judy's confident for Nick."  
"Even then..." The raccoon gave a thin smile. "The cake is a nice touch."  
He managed to collapse on Eileen's arms, to which Mordecai seemed amused at.

"One customer is down!" Margaret offered a pleasing laugh.  
She turned to Mordecai with a knowing expression. "Say, how does it feel to be under the arena?"  
"Uhh..." He glanced at the lifeless body. "I hope the air doesn't get _cold_ around here," offering a small pun.  
"And how about you, _wild_ sir?" she stated, turning to the fox officer, with a microphone over the table.  
The reporter was given a smug smile. "Victory toot toot." He then turned to Finnick. "Can you do your toot toot?"  
Judy chuckled. "Silly. He's not on his suit."  
"Even Judy doesn't think I have a chance," Mordecai told his friends.  
Eileen nodded. "Just enjoy the ice cream cake. We don't have that kind with a cheap price back home."

"I'll do the count this time."  
Two pairs of eyes made contact, Judy and Margaret's.  
They both laughed and spoke at the same time. "You do the honors."  
Nick smirked, waiting patiently. Eileen was too busy massaging Rigby's unconscious body to notice.  
Mordecai chuckled.  
"Meh. The previous victor will do it," Finnick stated.

Judy winked at Margaret. "We might have been soulmates in another universe."  
The black jay brushed it off coolly. "Oh, that would be funny."  
Finnick frowned. "Girl talk."  
Judy rolled her eyes. "It's called socializing."  
"Okay, 3..."  
"Dude, take a chill pill," Mordecai said.  
"Oh boy," Nick drawled in amusement.  
"2..."  
Margaret waved over the crowd again. "Cameramen, ready!"  
Some newcomers gave her a puzzled expression.  
"1 and a half!"  
"What?" Mordecai muttered.  
"He's making attempts for jokes," Nick provided, with a slight shrug.  
"0!"

There was a slight freeze in the competition as the count was abruptly ended.  
Nick shrugged once again, while Mordecai was at a loss for a proper reaction.  
"Finnick can't do the count," Nick said.  
"We can all agree to that," Judy affirmed with a light tone.  
"Think of it as a breather, Mordecai," Eileen offered for comfort.  
"Uhhh... seriously."  
The ice cream cake offered no respite.

"Breather, it is!" Margaret announced. "Hang on folks, as we proceed to our commercial break."  
A synonymous wave of disappointment flowed through the crowd.  
The reporter then encouraged the others to make hasty action. "We're under supervision."  
Mordecai chuckled. "You're having fun with this role play!"  
"Yeah." Margaret brushed the back of her head. "I sometimes tend to act all ditzy and stuff when it comes to the real thing. This feels like legitimate practice."  
"That's nice to know!" He offered a genuine smile of support. "We'll always be here for you."

"Yeah. So about the count?" Eileen asked. "Too bad Rigby's not up to watch Mordecai's turn."  
"What kind of brain freeze did the loser get?" Finnick taunted, only to be ignored.  
"Why don't we all just enjoy ourselves and have a casual break?" Nick suggested.  
The crowd's atmosphere immediately shifted to show disapproval.  
Mordecai chuckled. "Where's the fun in that?"  
The red fox raised his eyebrows. "Well, you asked for it. The reporter will do the count."  
"Agreed."  
"Oh, you guys," Margaret said, a little self-conscious.

Eileen raised her hands to help articulate her thoughts. "Just think of it as the cameraman cue. Those... you work with those three guys."  
"Honestly, I still don't know much about them."  
"Start with our familiar faces then." Mordecai gave a toothy grin.  
Margaret didn't have anything to put them down. "Okay. Thanks for helping me out."  
"It's my win you're going to cover," the blue jay teased lightly.  
"Hold on there." Nick tapped the table with his fingers. "It's my brimming confidence that will be on the camera."  
Judy giggled. "Suit yourself, Nick."  
"Oh, I will, Carrots."

"3...?"  
Mordecai promptly inspected every utensil before him.  
Nick spun a small spoon using his fingers, which earned him a puzzled expression from the blue jay. "2..."  
Meanwhile, Eileen and Finnick were clearly not focused on the second round, as if they were already certain of the outcome. The former had grown fond of massaging Rigby's head while the latter got busy mocking some animals in the crowd.  
"1..."  
Judy remained at the edge of her seat, looking ready to hop high in enjoyment.  
"And the cake is served!"

Before Mordecai could even get his spork, Judy already started laughing.  
Margaret chuckled. "Our bunny cop is surely enjoying this."  
It made the blue jay glance at their direction, only to see Nick using one of the smaller sporks and mostly his tongue to take in the ice cream cake. He looked like he was sipping medicine syrup off a kid-sized spoon.  
"Oh, that never gets old." Judy shook her head.  
"And he looks like a baby as usual," Finnick mocked.  
Even while looking laidback, the fox was quick on taking successive slices.  
However, Mordecai also had a neat plan of his own.

Margaret nudged Eileen and whispered encouragingly, "Zoom in the camera at Nick's face."  
She was gladly accompanied in her little activity. "Look at that face, folks!"  
The reporter adjusted the fictional microphone under her chin. " _Brimming confidence_! Now, what does the other side have to offer?"  
She gently stopped Eileen who was about to turn around. "Sometimes, you have more than one set of camera, even for just a small event."  
The supportive waitress nodded. "You go, Margaret."

There was a growing hum of wonder within the portion of the crowd looking at the competitor.  
The blue jay had hurriedly sliced off the ice cream part from the main cake bread.  
"What is Mordecai up to?!" Margaret said, instigating the crowd's reaction. "Will it be a way to beat our Officer Wilde?"  
Meanwhile, Rigby had regained consciousness and looked at his best friend with weary eyes, which instantly revitalized upon contact. "That's how Muscleman taught us to eat fast in competitions!"

Margaret turned to her fellow American citizen with a look of piqued interest.  
"You seem to know about your best friend's tactics. Care to tell our viewers a thing or two about it?"  
"He's going to be taking large chunks of cake while drinking water at the same time to have a faster time of munching." Realizing something terrible, Rigby gasped. "Oh man, he's going to use the ice cream as substitute for water."  
"It's not going to melt so fast to turn into its liquid state," Eileen said in a-matter-of-fact way.  
"No, no! Wait!" Rigby was waving a hand in an exaggerated manner over the faces of his female friends. "At the corner of Mordecai's side!"

Both friends, along with some animals who overheard, set their sights on mentioned corner.  
They found out that the sun's rays were reflected off the nearby window and focused on one area of Mordecai's side, where he had placed a smaller plate.  
"It'll definitely melt in no time!" Eileen said in excitement while Rigby lauded him. "Mordecai, you're a genius!" He was acknowledged by a muffled grunt.  
Margaret proceeded to explain the strategy in a rather complicated series of words to the crowd.  
Nick only gave them an amused expression while Judy transitioned to teasing her partner about a possible loss, with an enthusiastic jeer from Finnick.

The cheering had gone considerably more heated and louder, when Rigby pressed a hand against his forehead. "Uhh! There are still remnants of the previous brain freeze!"  
Eileen gave him a pat. "There. There."

 


	4. Closer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary:  
> The company tries to trigger supernatural forces through a silly game of embarrassing truths and playful emotions.  
> But the story doesn't end there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Regular Show and Zootopia.

ZOOTRAPIA

_xCLOSER THAN A PARTNER  
xNick V_

"Oh, I'm so embarrassed right now," Nick said with an emphasis of a slow tone. "Please don't show my face on the camera anymore."  
"Oh, Nick." Judy rolled her eyes. "You're so pathetic."  
"Pathetic, he is," Finnick agreed, missing the sarcasm. "That was a very poor competition."  
The others cheered for their friend, who just won the match albeit still fighting a minor headache.  
"Heh. The cake is good."  
Rigby turned to the bunny. "Can we have some for our friends?"  
Finnick grunted. "If you want melted ice cream for your so-called friends back at your home."  
"He means dessert for _Eileen_ and Margaret," Mordecai clarified. "It's cake from another world after all."

The reporter chuckled. "You think they'd let us after all our rowdiness? Look at their sign."  
Rigby frowned as he read the pointed sign. "They reserve the right to refuse service to anyone? What kind of right is that?"  
Judy brushed their worries off with a smile. "They'd give us the cakes. _We_ bring more customers inside the cafe with our _rowdy competitions_ anyway."  
"Sly bunny," Nick teased.  
"Oh!" Judy's ears peaked up as she looked outside the front glass window. "That's Gideon's van!"  
"Oh, the pie guy," Mordecai said. "Can we have the additional cake for take-out or can this Gid join us?"

Nick raised an eyebrow as Judy already ran off for the newcomer. "We won't fit in this table anymore. We still got a little more than an hour. Let's go out."  
"That's my cue to leave," Finnick muttered.  
Rigby pointed a finger at the fennec who was walking after Judy. "So long, loser!"  
"Hey, this is goodbye for like forever, Finnick," Mordecai added in an attempt for politeness.  
"Whatever." Upon going out the cafe, the others could see him getting a farewell punch on the shoulder from Judy and a wave of a hand from a more rounded red fox in comparison to Nick.  
"Goodbye?" Eileen turned to the blue jay. "We still don't have an idea how to go home."  
Margaret hummed with a nod, also puzzled.

"Dude, what's the rush?" Rigby asked. "We're in a different world with _lots_ of nature! It's the perfect camping spot, no... camping world!"  
Mordecai gave his best friend a worried look. "Who knows how much time in our world has gone by since we came here? Benson's gonna fire us!"  
As the others discussed about possible time inconsistencies, Nick got the take-out cake, paying the check with a look thinking he could've gotten away without spending money, and addressed them with nonchalantly stretched arms. "I know we all have our life problems here. But let's talk about it with our new friend here. Maybe he has some ideas."

Everyone else followed him hesitantly. When they got outside the Jumbeaux's, the chubbier red fox was giving the bunny cop a firm handshake.  
"Pleasure doin' busyness with ya and yer friends."  
" _Business_ ," Judy teased. "Cozy."  
"It may be jus' 'cause I frequently use m' hands for bakin' 'em pies," Gideon said with a clear tone of shyness.  
"Pies, they are," Nick spoke as soon as they were within his voice range.  
"Oh, hey there Off'cer Wilde," the baker greeted, then looking at the others. "Ya'll must be Judy's new frien's!"  
"Is that the normal way you speak?" the raccoon asked dubiously.

Mordecai pushed him away with a look of disbelief.  
"He means he's glad to hear that. I'm Mordecai." He proceeded to introduce the rest of his company.  
"Right. So have you heard about the portal, Gideon?" Nick asked.  
"Judy here's jus' talkin' 'bout it." The plump fox, who was still wearing an apron, shook his head. "I ain't great with supernatural stuffs."  
"It's okay," Margaret said. "We don't want to bother too many people."  
"Yes, we do," Rigby retorted unhelpfully. "We need to get home!"

"So, 'bout them pies..." Gideon seemed to be doing a head count as he grunted to himself. "Judy's 'rents added in extra. Ya'll would have enough fo' more of yer friends."  
"Sweet!" Eileen raised a small fist. "I'll take an extra to try and make my own recipe."  
"Oh, you're that interested in cooking now?" Rigby asked.  
"Yeah." The waitress tilted her head away. "I got some special stuff in mind."

"No ideas?" Judy spoke with a hopeful tone. "How about you guys visit Bunnyburrow first? Gideon can take us for a ride."  
Gideon nodded and smiled in confirmation. "Yeah. T'is my last delivery for this district. I'll jus' use the way home for the others."  
"Carrots. Officer duty." Nick waved a warning finger. "We got less than half an hour left."  
"Oh, come on Nick. We got to help them. They're citizens-" Judy paused for a second. "Noncitizens in need. _Foreigners_. All the more reason to assist them in any way we can."  
"And you suggest your hometown for help?" Nick drawled then reminded her of the continuous rapid growth of the population of her hometown.  
Judy lowered her ears a little. "That may not be a good idea indeed."

"Well, we'll be well," Gideon assured the others, then glanced at the reporter. "'Cept for yer case. I don' really know what to make of it."  
"We can try poking Margaret with a stick," Rigby suggested, which earned him a punch from his best friend.  
"Ow! Not a death punch."  
"Well, any ideas? Perhaps from this Dizzy World?" Nick snapped his figers. "We're going to take any straw here."  
Mordecai shook his head. "I was just running for my life until the rope of memories came."  
"What's the rope of mem'ries?" Gideon asked.  
"It's a material formed out of the utmost embarrassing stuff that Mordecai has experienced with the others," Eileen informed, adjusting her eyeglasses once. "Furthermore, perhaps it was the emotions that gave it its physical form and allowed Mordecai to jump out of his demise in the other world."

Everyone else blinked in unison as they absorbed the amount of information Eileen had given.  
"Care to explain again?" Rigby said.  
"I have something!" Nick brightened up, waving a finger around. He looked over at the mysterious figure of the reporter and spoke, " _But_ Margaret, can we induce you to undergo _various_ stuff?"  
"Will it be dangerous?" Judy asked.  
"Will it involve poking Margaret with sticks?" Rigby received another punchie.  
"As long as I get to go back in one piece," Margaret replied lightly.

"Oh, nothing that serious." Nick walked back and forth before them. "This rope of memories just gave me an idea. What if we use your emotions to trigger your own way out of this world?"  
Rigby had his mouth open in cluelessness while Mordecai answered for him. "You mean, like another rope of memories? To whom?"  
"How about your boss?" Eileen suggested.  
The two park workers scowled at the same time. "We don't have that many good memories with Benson," the blue jay said.  
Rigby was nodding his head when he remembered something. "Except for the Format Wars II."  
"I guess that will count."  
"How about Muscleman?" Margaret suggested. "Even I can recall a lot of moments of you guys with him."  
"We have to be sure _they_ will be there when we call for their memories though," Judy pointed out with uncertainty. "Isn't that how it went with Mordecai?"

"I mean, not like another rope." Nick frowned as he thought of a different way to discuss his thoughts. "More like the portal itself. Like what made Bellwether escape, or how you guys entered in the first place!"  
"Will it work that way?" Rigby questioned. "It was formed out of my-"  
" _Body reaction_ ,"Mordecai interrupted. "We think the main cause of the portal is Rigby passing gas." "Seriously?" Eileen asked with a frown.  
"Hope ya guys ain't kiddin' with that kinda joke," Gideon said.  
"It's the power of lots of Wings and Eileen's waffles," Rigby supplied with a rather confident smirk.

Mordecai shrugged while Eileen's frown turned to a regretful grimace.  
"I should've reserved those waffles for tomorrow."  
"Why'd you give Rigby waffles?" Margaret asked, with a hint of a tease.  
Eileen widened her eyes in exaggeration of her following statement. "His body can handle numerous possible toxins."  
"Gyaaa!" Rigby jumped, as his stomach made a grumbling sound.  
"Okaaay..." Judy began, not sure where to take the direction. "Let's assume this portal is a formation of gas and toxins?"  
Nick smirked, looking amused. "Then we need something as powerful as Rigby's gas."

Margaret failed to hide her laughter. "S'rry. It was funny."  
"Maybe them emotions would work too," Gideon proposed. "Stuff's stronger than any food'r drink ya can ever take."  
Eileen shook her head. "This plan building feels so awkward."  
"Hmph. My fart is that wonderful," Rigby stated with a huff.  
Judy chuckled at the unruliness. "Is that really something to be proud of?"  
"He's normally the underachiever," Mordecai told the bunny. "Let him have it this time."  
"What?! You-"

"Okay. Since no one else has proper suggestions..." Nick eyed every one of them, maintaining his amused tone. "We're going to play Truth or _Truth_."  
"What?" was the almost synchronized answer of the group.  
"How else can we stimulate those _fluffy_ emotions?" The vulpine officer bared few of his teeth for a larger smile.  
Judy gave him a worried expression. "Nick, if this is your way to-"  
"Carrots, don't be silly." Nick shrugged. "We're just doing _everything_ for _their_ sake, right?"  
"Does it have to include me?" Gideon asked.  
Rigby looked at Nick as if he was mad. "What kind of a game is Truth or Truth?"  
"It's a twist for Truth or Dare," Eileen told him.  
Margaret chuckled. "Of course he knows th-"  
"Oh." The raccoon blinked.  
The reporter said no more.

"Uhhh..." Mordecai began. "It's just going to make everyone uncomfortable."  
"Oh, where are your spirits, guys?" Nick addressed them. "Did the ice cream take away your excitement? Excluding you, Gid?"  
The larger red fox nodded. "I don' think any of my truths 'ill help."  
"Anyone else with their _specific_ reasons?" The officer gave each animal a focused eye.  
Rigby raised a hand and spoke in a poor imitation. "I donut think any of mah truths will halp."  
He was given a blank glance by the baker.  
"Okay, you pass." Nick grinned. "3... 2... 1... No one else."

Everyone else was either too slow to react or speechless for the plan's pacing.  
Nick just resumed the game and took out a finished lollipop stick.  
"Okay, participants will form a circle around this thing and _non-participants_ will roll it."  
Gideon only gave a short "Got it." Rigby groaned.  
"The rest is a truth or truth process," the sly fox continued with confidence.  
"Whatever, Nick." Judy rolled her eyes as she huddled closer, forming an initial shape for the circle.  
The others slowly followed, not sure how to contribute in any other way.  
"But who's gonna ask the questions?" Margaret inquired.  
Nick raised an eyebrow. "We'll leave that for the other two."  
"Oh, yes!" The raccoon exclaimed. "This is suddenly the best job ever."  
Mordecai gave an uneasy chuckle.

For the activity to commence, they had to break their circle when they realized their current setting was not any good. They relocated under a park tree, which Mordecai recognized was where Weaselton had been tied to with a cardboard.  
The preparations were relatively quick, slowed down by only a few warning statements given by Mordecai to Rigby, who definitely looked forward for the game.  
"One rolls and the other asks," Gideon announced. No one rejected him of the opportunity.  
While everyone else looked nervous, Nick continued to exude confidence.  
As the small lollipop stick was spun, every pair of eyes watched it with anticipation.  
"Question tiiime," Rigby uttered in excitement.  
The first one stopped, pointing at Judy.

Rigby gasped. "Baker, change of rules! Whoever spins asks the question!"  
"My name's Gideon."  
Mordecai rolled his eyes. "And here we have Rigby and his crush on-"  
"Stop it!" The raccoon yelled.  
"Ah-kay." Gideon hummed. "'M not the 'un fer questions but have you shared a secret with any of the others?" He gestured to the non-citizens.  
Judy inhaled sharply and replied quickly, "Yes. I did."  
Rigby blinked and asked rather harshly, "To whom and what is that secret?!"  
The bunny shook her head. "Two questions? W- we can't have that."  
Mordecai nodded firmly. "R-right. That wouldn't be fair."  
"We can't have a yes-or-no question only for a round." Margaret frowned, which earned her the acknowledgment of the rest.  
"You have to answer," Nick teased.

Judy looked at the group and slowly accepted she had no way out of the game.  
"I... I told Mordecai I want to zap Nick with the tazer and take a picture of his reaction."  
Margaret and Eileen laughed.  
"You cops have your own tazer?" Rigby said in amazement.  
Nick's usual humming had become a little louder in suppressed surprise. "Is that right?"  
Mordecai avoided the fox's eyes, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah. Back when we were alone at the pipes. We were talking about random stuff and got to that point."  
Rigby tried to grasp the air before him. "Alone, the two of you?!"  
"We had to get to Bellwether in secret," Judy defended.  
"Okay, that's enough. Question's answered," Nick told them.

"Now, it's my time!" Rigby said.  
"As if you can do that!" Mordecai laughed. "You just avoided-"  
"Stop it!" He screamed before forcefully spinning the stick. "Land it on Mordecai!"  
It soon stopped to reject him and point at Nick.  
Margaret chuckled. "Wonder what you could ask _him_ to disarm his expression."  
Eileen nodded. "Yeah. That would be interesting."  
Judy seemed to be holding her breath while Mordecai sighed in relief.

Rigby threw a totally unexpected statement. "What makes you enjoy your job?"  
Nick's smile deepened upon hearing the question. "I-"  
"What the heck, man?!" Mordecai had to say while his female friends nodded seriously.  
The raccoon leaned closer to whisper, "Dude, I have to know. Benson's a hard case."  
"You could've asked the same for Judy."  
"Eeeehhh!"  
Gideon laughed good-heartedly.  
"As I was saying," Nick spoke up in authority. "It's all about friends and connections. As I like to say, I know everybody here. That also means I know who's likable and who likes me. Carrots for example..." The fox paused to offer a tense atmosphere for the bunny. "She's _very close_ to her family."  
"How's that connected to enjoying your job?" Rigby asked, looking rather interested.  
Mordecai sighed, holding his disbelief.  
"Happy friends mean a happy workplace!" Nick stated, as if talking to a kid. "Well, it works if you're co-workers with your friends."  
The raccoon gasped as if he discovered something essential for living his life.

"Oke'. Now that we got 'at." Gideon got the stick and paused to set the others ready. "It's 'nother turn for me questions."  
While Rigby was connecting invisible lines in his head, the others held their breaths for yet another round.  
The object stopped, facing Mordecai's direction. "Now it's a fo'ranger."  
Gideon glanced at the others to get an idea for a question. "Man, I sucka' this. What other jobs do you think would fit everyone else?"  
Judy laughed in relief. "That's Gideon for you. _Interested_ in the good things." It was as if she wanted to make a point to someone.  
Margaret nodded in amusement. "That's actually a good question."

Mordecai started with his set of closer friends. "Rigby will do as a terrible rockstar."  
"Hey!"  
"Eileen will be a college professor."  
"But that's boring," Eileen rejected.  
"Margaret as a model." Before the reporter could speak, he quickly added, "The _kid-friendly_ model."  
"Ya gotta be honest, Mordecai!" Rigby said in accusation.  
"Gideon will be..." He frowned as he looked at the more rounded red fox's body. "A heavyweight boxer?"  
Gideon laughed pleasantly. "Don' think these hands'll do better at a ring. I'll jus' stay with bakin' for ev'ryone."  
"Judy will be... uhh, more of a preschool teacher? Something about close interactions with children." The bunny cop held her face, holding her positive emotions in. "Aw! I actually thought about it a few times. _Not_ being a carrot farmer."  
"Sly bunny." Nick added with amusement.

"Nick will be a..." Mordecai gave him a proper look. "The police uniform actually fits you. Say, were you doing your job yesterday without your uniform?"  
"Part of the concealment," Nick said casually. "But I thank you for your high praise."  
"I... something like a con artist?"  
Judy burst out laughing, gently hitting her partner. "He knows the deal, Nick!"  
"That did hap'n in the past," Gideon said to the others. "Judy 'ere talked a lot 'bout it."  
"He still joins Finnick sometimes," the rabbit affirmed. "Let's just say I give them a pass as long as they pay their taxes."  
Nick just shrugged.

The next spin stopped at Margaret's direction.  
Rigby nodded to himself as if the lady was a challenge.  
"Who would you pick over the Zootopians we met as a date and why?"  
"What?" The girls muttered in surprise.  
"Thought he'll ask another stupid question," Mordecai admitted.  
Gideon chuckled uneasily, being a natural part of the possible answers.  
Nick had no visible reaction, except for the ever pasted smile on his face.

Margaret waved a hand over her head, as if to brush away something for a distraction. "I didn't think about that."  
"You have to answer the question with as much truth as possible," Rigby said firmly.  
The reporter laughed quietly. "Finnick's too small but I'd pair him for Eileen."  
"I'd give him a chance," Eileen said in support.  
"Hey!" Rigby cried. "Margaret, you're avoiding the question! Truth or truth!"  
"I kinda feel funny."  
"That's the point of the game," Judy said lightly. "We're all at risk of feeling funny here."  
"I mean..." Margaret was interrupted another time as Rigby addressed her. "No backing down from a question!"  
"You can just say that 'cause you won't be getting questions," Mordecai annoyed.

"That would be Gideon." At everyone's astonished expressions, she quickly included that she particularly liked his accent.  
Judy was the first to speak, with a playful nudge at the baker. "That's my fox!"  
Gideon stuttered for a while. "P- pleasure to _speak?_ Marg'ret." to which the reporter just accepted bashfully.  
Mordecai had his mouth open in the biggest shock.  
Rigby and Nick looked proud for their own reasons.

The following rotation had Eileen under Gideon's inquiry.  
"How will ya be convinced to stay in Zootopia?"  
"If I had a sure way to go back," was the eagerly swift reply. "Or if all my friends are here."  
"Oh, that's fast. As if ya expected m'question," Gideon acknowledged.  
"It's normal for me to have dark thoughts." Eileen adjusted her glasses with a solemn expression. "Like what if we were forced to fit in this society and all that?"  
"Uhhh..." Mordecai shivered at the thought.  
Judy tried to reassure her, saying, "Zootopia's a very welcoming _world_."  
" _Where everyone can be anything_ ," Nick added as if he had waited for the moment.  
The bunny slightly pushed him. "You don't have to say that so often."

"The next turn shall be determined by me!" Rigby yelled with authority as he raised the lollipop stick dramatically. "Truth or truth!"  
He added extra force for the spin which seemed to fill his ego.  
It soon stopped, pointing at Judy.  
"Ngaaa!"  
"Aw, my second turn!"  
"The stick won't let you run from her, Rigby." Mordecai smirked. "Ask her if she'll take you on-"  
"What are the best qualities you can see for each of us?"  
His best friend raised an eyebrow but spoke no more.  
The others just waited expectantly.

"I mean I only got to talk long enough with Mordecai," Judy began shyly. "Eileen, I think she's really smart and responsible. Margaret seems to be great with following her dreams. You, Rigby look able to handle stress at any extent."  
Eileen and Margaret gave her reassuring nods. The raccoon held his reactions inside, but Mordecai was pretty sure he could see inward disappointment to himself, like his first supposed first impression did not work.  
"Mordecai, I think he cares so much about his friends but he doesn't let anyone feel restricted by his personality."  
Rigby frowned at his best friend, who only smirked as an insult.  
"Gideon's really gentle and forgiving." She laughed lightly. "Unlike what he used to be."  
"As ya say, change starts 'ith ya," Gideon offered as a joke, but still evidently embarrassed.  
"Nick. He's-" Judy covered her face by folding her ears. "-a dumb fox."

The others laughed at her show while Margaret seemed to be frowning.  
Rigby also expressed distaste. "That's not a _best quality_ J-J- Judy."  
Mordecai rolled his eyes at his friend's display of personality.  
"I think that's what makes him the best fox around," Judy admitted with a still muffled voice. "He's a dumb fox who's fun to be with."  
"Dumb bunny." Nick bobbed his head in amusement. "You're acting emotional again."  
"Shut up, dumb fox."  
"Ooh, that's not how it works as I remember it, _dumb bunny_."  
"Gyaaah! Question's over!" Rigby cried, obviously upset.

Gideon took over, albeit still looking flustered. "Dunno how long this'll take, but I- I guess I can still have a few rounds."  
He quickly rolled the stick. Judy had removed her ears from her face to watch the spin, which stopped by Nick.  
"Judy then Nick again. It's kind of like the cycle is repeating," Eileen pointed out.  
"I hope I won't be next then," Mordecai muttered. Margaret chuckled.  
"Uh, what do you think Judy could have been if she came from their world?"  
Nick's nose moved as if it showcased his interest, although he first turned to the others.

"What would you call yourselves in our world again?" he asked.  
Rigby frowned. "Best friends?"  
"Park employees?" Mordecai suggested, not sure what the aim of the question was.  
"Technically, we're also citizens," Margaret said, to which Eileen added, "American citizens."  
"Okay. That's good enough." The fox officer turned back to Gideon with a pleasant smile. "Carrots would have likely been the first patriotic American bunny I'd have fallen for."

"Oh my gosh," Judy muttered as she held her face. "You dumb-"  
"What?!" Rigby thundered, while Gideon said the same with a weaker tone of surprise.  
"Is that..." Eileen gave a playful smirk.  
Mordecai was about to join the crazy reactions, when he realized Margaret was pressing her hands around her temples. "Is something wrong?"  
The reporter tried to laugh, but ended up breaking it terribly. "I'm sorry. I'm breaking the fun. It's just... my head feels funny."  
Judy's ears perked up in attention. "Maybe you need to rest. It's been a long day."

Nick blinked in astonishment as he looked at the time through his phone.  
"Uh oh. Bad timing. We got a few more minutes."  
"A few?" Judy asked which Nick clarified as around five minutes.  
"Margaret, something wrong with your body?" Eileen asked in worry.  
She held out a hand to touch a shoulder but it only ended up _entering_ through. "Woah!"  
Mordecai had to pull Eileen back, who almost fell _inside_.  
"I- I hope I'm not the only 'un who saw that," Gideon muttered nervously as he looked at the others.  
"Wait a minute." Rigby approached Margaret's body cautiously. "Maybe the supernatural forces of emotions are reacting inside her body! She's our way out!"  
"What?" Mordecai stared at his best friend as if he was crazy, which Gideon expressed openly. "Tha's crazy!"

"But what if it isn't?" Nick spoke up, looking just more entertained. "Rigby, why don't you try and see for yourself?" The red fox was about to give the raccoon a slight push when the latter somehow slipped and warped inside Margaret's body.  
"Oh no!" Mordecai exclaimed in panic. "That can't be good!"  
He almost immediately followed after his best friend's fading scream.  
"Wait, Margaret!" Judy checked for the reporter's state. "Are you okay? What do you feel?"  
It was only then that they realized her dark swirling face had become actually motionless, and she also was not showing any visible reaction.  
"Margaret?!" Mordecai cried.  
"Calm! Calm!" Eileen made sure he was not going to jump so soon. "We don't know what's happening."  
"What if it really 's 'em emotions?" Gideon wondered out loud.

"I'm going in!" Eileen said decisively. "Margaret might be in there..." she paused, realizing how awkward it sounded. "In her body and she might need our help. Rigby too."  
Before anyone else got to move, Eileen jumped inside the motionless body and vanished.  
"Mordecai, don't go yet!" Judy held his hand. "Hey, this feels all too sudden."  
The blue jay laughed with genuine cheer. "Oh, Judy. You get used to stuff. I mean..."  
The bunny cop stiffened her hold. "I'm acting weird. I know."  
"Judy..." Mordecai paused as he looked at the rest of the group. "Man, this doesn't feel episodic like the rest of my life. Just fourth wall things?"  
His weak joke was accepted passively.  
"This might be goodbye forever, huh?"  
"Yeah. So I guess Nick probably got the emotion thing right," Judy rambled on. "And it's because of me. Margaret might be in danger. But I just... I reacted that way because I thought it was sweet."

Gideon was about to speak when Nick held him still and gestured for him to only watch.  
"I- I just admitted stuff... eh?" Judy loosened her hold.  
"Judy."  
"I'm sorry. I should-"  
"Carrots." Mordecai grimaced upon saying the nickname, but it definitely caught her attention. "Remember what..." The blue jay glanced over at the two foxes, particularly the officer.  
His consciousness threatened to make him nervous, but he was way over getting embarrassed over talking with girls. He decided to whisper his next words. "Remember what we talked about back at the pipes? _How_ we talked about stuff?" It was his turn to hold her hands. "You two are cool. Ni- he's cool. You're cool. I mean, I'm not much for giving advice and-"  
Judy burst out with weak laughter. "Silly Mordecai. I- I'm just surprised by this sudden farewell."  
"Man, sorry I was a jerk. But you know what? I never told him about it."  
Judy punched him lightly. "Why are you talking about that now?"

"Tape. All this stuff will forever be taped in my brain," the blue jay assured her.  
"Mordecai, stop it. Bunnies are... _so emotional_." She was about to laugh again but she was stopped by her own sharp breathing, as if about to cry.  
"We'll find a way back. We're great at that stuff," he said rather proudly, then shifted to a more serious note. "If we don't forget you all of a sudden. I mean, it can happen."  
"Oh, silly. Thanks for the cake moment."  
"I should be the one saying that!" Mordecai laughed, evidently pleased. "I'm sure the others mean it too."  
"I never got to know much about you guys." Judy seemed to blinking faster and more inclined to tilt her head downwards. "That silly soulmate thing with Margaret. Eileen speaking like a loveless robot. Rigby having an eye on me." She offered a terrible chuckle. "All of this is stupid."

Mordecai gave her a gentle pat. "We've been called worse. But hey, stupid is fun!"  
"Stop." Judy finally embraced the tall bird. "Or you won't be getting those pies."  
"Crap, I almost forgot!"  
Judy exhaled in a formed resolution. "Dumb bird."  
"That sounds weird."  
The bunny sniffed once, before looking over at Gideon. "The pies."  
"Oh, ah, wait," the baker stuttered as he went to the back of his delivery van.  
"Nick, I'm so sorry for the terrible show."  
The red fox gave a firm look at Mordecai then turned back to her. "You bunnies are so emotional."  
"You know, I just said that."  
Gideon hurried back with four rectangular boxes.  
"That looks like pizza boxes," Mordecai pointed out.  
"What's a pizza?" Judy asked.  
Huh? Isn't it-"  
"Just kidding!"

Gideon gingerly handed over the boxes, which surprisingly felt heavy. "I see yer face there. Ev'ryone gets shocked by the weight of them crust- bread."  
"I look like a delivery guy," Mordecai shrugged. "But how am I supposed to get _into_ Margaret?"  
The blue jay slowly pressed a foot over the black body's figure and it entered easily.  
"Woah. This feels weird."

Looking over the set of boxes on his hands, Mordecai offered a big smile. "Don't let that Bellwether escape again."  
"Har. Har." Judy rolled her eyes. "Tell Rigby to not go sleeping directly after a large meal!"  
"I keep telling him that."  
"This is goodbye then, Mordecai."  
The blue jay looked at everyone. "Goodbye Gid. Goodbye Nick. You two take care of this bunny here. Man, I suck at goodbyes."  
Nevertheless, he was given a small acknowledgment through a pair of nods, before he turned to Judy to give her a wink. "You're the coolest bunny I ever met, Judy. Care to give me a push?"  
"No way."  
"Goodbye." He jumped inside the portal's body, which rapidly disintegrated as soon as Mordecai was sucked whole.  
"Goodbye Mordecai!" Judy screamed at the reverted park ground.  
Soon, there was only the three of them left and a stray volleyball from one of the younger animals.

Nick kicked it back skillfully.  
"No kickin's allowed in vol'ball, Nick," Gideon said cheerfully.  
Judy chuckled. "You ever played soccer before?"  
Nick, however, motioned for them to stop. "You two, quiet for a second."  
"Hmm?"  
"Mordecai, you're back!"  
"Huh?"  
Nick looked fulfilled as he saw the identical faces of astonishment for his companions.  
"Ho- how come we can still hear 'em?" Gideon asked.  
Judy frowned. "What did you do now?"  
Nick shrugged. "Maybe I placed a listening device on Mordecai."  
"You what?" Judy was answered by clear voices from Nick's tiny receiver.

"Are those the pies?!" Eileen spoke.  
"Hey, Margaret, you feeling okay?" The blue jay's voice said.  
"Man, what took you so long?" Rigby complained. "You had us worried."  
"I'm fine. I just lost consciousness and then boom, we're suddenly here," Margaret supplied.  
Mordecai laughed. "I forgot to tell Judy about you and Trash Boat."  
"Hey!"  
"Wait, how much time has passed since we got in there?" Eileen wondered out loud.  
"Check the-"

The conversation continued as static for a while, before ending up with one monotonous sound of a broken line.  
"Ho, hey. That 'as int'resting!" Gideon admitted. "Like maybe they're close or something, 'cause it worked, eh?"  
Judy chuckled. "They're so silly."  
"It was worth the shot." Nick hid the receiver in a pocket then picked up the unattended lollipop stick. "I'm going to keep this one."  
"If I remember correctly, don't ya two still have yer officer jobs?" Gideon reminded.  
Judy gasped. "Oh my gosh, we're late for the briefing!"  
Nick only moved his tail to playfully brush the back of Judy's neck. "Relax, dumb bunny. Chief's got a _soft spot_ for you."  
The bunny jumped, feeling flustered. "Hey, don't do that!"

Manwhile, Gideon also looked troubled by the time. "It's also my time to go, friends. I'll be 'ere again by 5. If ya want a ride home, Judy?"  
"Have it for the weekend," Judy said as she watched the baker ride his van. "Goodbye Gideon!"  
"Take care, Judy!"  
As the delivery van zoomed away, Nick's tail swiped another stroke around Judy's neck. " _Soft spot._ "  
"Stop it!" she whispered harshly, to not get the attention of the nearby animals.

Nick shrugged. "So what's this about..."  
He cleared his throat before proceeding to do two different voice impressions.  
" _Don't tell him about it... No, I won't._ "  
Judy frowned. "That's part of a conversation I had with Mordecai. But how'd you know about those exact lines?"  
"Mordecai suffered quite a _terrible_ reaction from the Night Howler serum. Random statements included," Nick informed. "But is it really about the tazer? My brain is telling me that's a lie."  
"Oh, come on." Judy chuckled."You were this one who kept giving the others a suspicious eye."  
"You did enjoy yourself quite a lot, eh?"  
"Yeah, I guess," she answered casually.  
"Hmph. _Don't tell him about it,_ " Nick spoke in a poor imitation of her voice.

The bunny rolled her eyes. "Are you perhaps _jealous_ of them...? Especially Mordecai. And I did also mention Jack Savage."  
"Me?" Nick adjusted the collar of his uniform then uncharacteristically admitted, "Oh, maybe I was."  
But he managed to catch Judy unaware again as he brushed the nape of her neck once more.  
"Hey!"  
"I like it when you do that."

 

_xMordecai VI_

Sirens were wailing loudly inside the apartment when the whole company got out of the room.  
"What's happening?!" The blue jay asked out loud.  
The four walked down the stairs to find Muscleman running around the living room.  
"Watch out for the cables!" Rigby pointed at their gaming console.  
"Muscleman, what's wrong?!" Mordecai asked.  
The wild man only ran around in apparent madness.  
"Mordecai and Rigby!" An unworldly voice spoke, followed by the presence of a small ragged ghost with a fork above his head.

"Fives, what's wrong with Muscleman?" Mordecai asked.  
Eileen frowned. "And why are there... _disco sirens_ in your living room?"  
Just then, Benson appeared with a head about to match the color of a tomato. "Are you guys done with your portal stuff?"  
"Yeah," everyone in question confirmed, already knowing the kind of boss Benson was.  
"Good. Now, we need to get Muscleman ready for his upcoming competition or the _whole_ park gets it!" "What happened here?" Margaret inquired.

Benson noticed the ladies for the first time, the color of his face reverting back to normal. "Good job on bringing Mordecai and Rigby back. While you all were gone for _half an hour_ , Muscleman got his name in a singing competition."  
"Half an hour?!" Mordecai uttered in surprise, but Rigby nudged him in excitement.  
"Dude, we can spend a _long_ lunch break in Zootopia!"  
"Whatever you all are thinking," Benson screamed, his face exploding with a red hue once more. "Your lunch breaks are over and you gotta have to find a way for Muscleman to win or we'll all be _FIRED_ by Gene!"  
Eileen and Margaret only blinked as they stood frozen.  
"Gene's not even the park manager!" Mordecai said, raising two hands.  
"It's a singing competition within parks where the _winning manager_ would be free to do _as he pleases_ to each participating park."  
Rigby frowned. "But what happened with Mr. Maellard?"  
"Pops and Skips are into it," Benson spoke in a concluding voice, as if no discussions about it would be held. The boss went out of the room with gritted teeth.

Muscleman continued wailing and bawling across the room with his body wet with tears, sweat and other unidentifiable fluids.  
"Were you guys eating Wings?!" Rigby cried.  
"Now's not the time," HFG spoke in urgency. "The competition's in 2 o' clock and Muscleman only eats the papers where we have tried writing some lyrics on!"  
The mentioned person was weeping and rolling on the ground, and took a piece of paper inside of his mouth as if on cue.

Margaret chuckled. "We're spending another 2 o' clock for this day in our lives."  
Eileen nodded seriously. "The science of farts is scary."  
"Hold on," Mordecai stated. "Don't worry, Fives. We got this."  
Rigby turned to his best friend with a skeptical look. "We do?"  
"Yeah, I just have the right song in mind," The blue jay grunted as he checked his body. "Uh, oh. Rigby, did I give you the paper?"  
"What paper?"  
"I was writing a song before the Truth or Truth game."  
"Ooooh!" Rigby's eyes widened as he recollected some previous events. "So that's why you were muttering to yourself like a college student."  
"Did you see where I put it?" Mordecai insisted.  
"Maybe you dropped it when you became Iacedrom?" Margaret suggested.

Mordecai suddenly gasped as he remembered some vital information. "It's Nick! Nick's got it."  
All he could focus on was the seemingly mischievous smirk he had frequently been given.  
"What's he gonna use it for?" Margaret asked. "Do you think he sings?"  
"He's not thinking about serenading Judy with Mordecai's poor lyricism, right?" Rigby deadpanned.  
Mordecai looked at his best friend with narrowed eyes. "It's _our_ style you're judging poorly."  
Rigby shrugged. "Their standards might be different from ours."  
"Okay, okay. I think I still got the lyrics in my mind anyway."  
He turned to the others with a fierce look. "Let's do this."  
Eileen raised a tiny hand. "Do we have to sing too?"

_X_

"Testing. Testing."  
Mordecai gave a muffled couch on the microphone. He diverted his attention to his best friend, who looked dubious. "Don't you think it's time for us to find a new job with a better boss?"  
They both glanced at the backstage personnel, which had Benson _reminding_ the others about lighting essentials through varied arrays of screamed words.  
"You know how that went for us. Back cramps. Unappreciation. Fever. _No video games._ " Mordecai shrugged. "Plus, maybe we'll get a raise for saving the park this time."  
"I doubt it."  
"Go, Mordecai and Rigby!" Eileen, who was wearing the group's shirt with the logo, shouted in support.  
Margaret also yelled her cheer.  
"Okay, dude. We got this." Rigby nodded.  
One set of deep breaths later, the two started singing.

"Wilder than a hangoverrrrr!" Muscleman performed a barely appropriate drumroll.  
Mordecai and Rigby looked at each other in exhilaration and counted to three.  
They then proceeded with a sing-song pattern for a rap.

"Tougher than a cover  
Faster than a trigger  
Stronger than a howler  
Softer than a whisper  
Louder than a timer  
Closer than a partner

Ooooooooohhhh!"

High Five Ghost held a trumpet for Muscleman to blow a terrible tone on.  
The duo paused for another deep breath, then sung their following words in a much faster rate.

"Cover than a tougher  
Trigger than a faster  
Howler than a stronger  
Whisper than a softer  
Timer than a louder  
Partner than a closer

Woooooshh!"

The song was ended with a drawling _shh_ before Mordecai and Rigby lost their breaths.  
"Dude, that isn't how we planned to finish it," Rigby said.  
Mordecai bobbed his shoulders casually. "The crowd likes it anyway."

There were around three claps that echoed from the audience, which they found out came from the ladies and Pops.  
The wind brushed along the almost empty crowd.  
"Good show! Good show!" the park manager's son lauded.

Their performance was followed by Gene's minions, but Pops did not seem to care.  
"Just how many _parks_ are planning to participate, anyway?" Mordecai spoke, noting Benson's seemingly exaggerated worries.  
"Pops, you got your business done successfully?" Rigby asked.  
Pops only laughed in good cheer. "Papa said he could just buy back the park anyway because he's rich."  
"Yeah, I even tried to ask for some park upgrades," Skips provided.

The duo blinked and stared at each other.  
Rigby jumped in excitement. "Dude, we should find a way to get back into Zootopia!"  
Mordecai smiled in encouragement. "Want to have dinner at Wing Kingdom again?"

_***Cue Regular Show outro music** _


End file.
